Jane Tonks in her studio, photograph by Madeline Young for The Corner Store Gallery.

Studio Visit with Jane Tonks

This September The Corner Store Gallery is proud to present the newest body of work by local landscape painter Jane Tonks, Refuge. Jane has been exhibiting with the gallery for a number of years and is a very popular member of the local arts community. Jane depicts the local bushland surrounding Orange in great detail with a deep, personal love of the landscape. Her attention to detail, colour and patterns found in nature is extraordinary and the viewer is tempted again and again to look closer and notice the detail.

Refuge is Jane’s first solo exhibition with The Corner Store Gallery and is on exhibition from September 13th to 23rd and we invite you to join us in celebration for the opening on Friday September 15th from 6pm.

Refuge Exhibition Catalogue

Jane Tonks’ artist studio, photograph by Madeline Young for The Corner Store Gallery.

Tell us a little about your background. How long have you been making art?

Forever! I have always identified as a creative person and felt a strong connection with nature, spending much of my childhood up a tree, observing and contemplating the world around me. Some of my earliest childhood memories involve drawing countless stick-trees and proudly presenting them to my mum and dad. My parents encouraged my creativity, giving me five tubes of oil paint (the three primary colours, white and black) and a few canvas boards for my eleventh birthday. This was a wise strategy as it taught me to mix and understand colour. From then on, I was hooked, spending countless hours immersed in painting.

When I was dating my (now) husband, he and I would often go on plein air painting picnics together. When our four children were young, there were many years where my own creativity was put on hold. As they grew older, my children helped inspire and re-kindle my love of painting again through family painting sessions at the dining room table. We even held a family three-generation exhibition together in 2007 which was great fun!

In my working life, I have followed many creative paths, working in advertising, window dressing, ticket writing, painting posters, signs and candles. I worked with my husband in our building design business for many years, learning design and CAD skills. More recently, I have worked in disability services, criminal justice programs and aged care. In all of these careers, I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to infuse art and creativity within the role I provided.

During 2010/2011, I completed the Diploma of Fine Arts through Western Institute of Tafe, Orange. This period was a huge creative catalyst for me, providing fabulous mentors who helped open my eyes to new possibilities. It gave me the confidence to take my art seriously. I held my first solo exhibition, ‘Immersed’ during this time. A diagnosis of breast cancer in October 2011 inspired a new solo exhibition, ‘Vertigo Warriors’ – a series of etchings, collagraphs, woodblock and lino prints symbolising the journey I was on. A few years later, I held a solo painting exhibition, ‘Elevation’. In 2013, I also held a joint exhibition with my son.

Jane Tonks, *Hide Out*, Acrylic on polycotton canvas, 61x69cm, framed in Flooded Gum.

What inspired this new body of work? What was your motivation?

I feel there is a strong and constant undercurrent flowing through my artwork today, advocating for environmental awareness and conservation. We are seeing the effects of the climate crisis through devastating bushfires, prolonged droughts and extreme weather events in recent years. The effects of exploitation & greed are now very tangible. Through my artwork, I hope to shine a beacon of light and hope on the incredible beauty, fragility and resilience of the natural environment. My paintings are a form of advocacy, inviting the viewer to take a closer look, to appreciate and protect the biodiversity of the natural environment, which is so critically important to the health of our planet.

Many of the works in this exhibition are painted from local bushwalking areas in the gaanha-bula (Mt. Canobolas) and Mullion Range state conservation areas. Whenever I can, l love to go bushwalking. These paintings represent places of essential refuge and habitat for our native flora and fauna. They are also places of refuge for me too, where I go to re-charge, recover and reconnect.

Can you talk us through your process?

My painting compositions are almost always inspired from time spent bushwalking and the quiet practice of forest bathing, where I just sit quietly in nature and observe the beauty around me. I usually take reference photos and sometimes develop plein air sketches or paintings on site. I take the ideas back to the studio, put on some music or a good audio book to get in the creative mood. I will sometimes paint a basecoat in transparent red oxide or raw umber to give a warm glow. The next stage is to put down a very loose painted sketch to rough out the composition. To most people, this stage would look like an indiscernible scribble. The major elements of the painting are blocked in loosely using large brushes. As the painting comes together, I try to bring focus to areas of light and shadow using colour washes and highlights. I use the foreground to bring details to the painting, be it the texture of bark, leaf litter, a bird or foliage. You can never outdo the incredible beauty and compositional mastery found in nature. Inspiration is everywhere you look. It’s amazing!

Can you describe your fabulous studio to our readers?

I have commandeered the front bedroom of our house as my studio, ripped up the old carpet and stained the floorboards (which are now covered in paint splatters!) It has a lovely bay window and window seat which looks out to our garden and busy street where I watch the world going by. I have paintings stacked here and there, some hanging on the walls, an etching press in the corner and of course, my trusty easel. I feel very fortunate to have such a wonderful, accessible space, where I can work any time, day or late into the night.

What's next for Jane Tonks?

Good question….. Life has a habit of leading me down unexpected paths. I try and remain open to new possibilities and go with the flow. I would like to travel more and take myself on self-imposed art residency camping trips. There are so many inspirational places on my bucket list! I hope to continue developing my skills and work towards another solo exhibition in the not-too-distant future. In time, I’m hoping that my arts practice will be my full-time career.