Jane Thorniley-Walker

The natural world is the recurring inspiration for Jane’s work. She is drawn to themes that relate to the landscape and wildlife around her home on the North York Moors. Jane’s mosaic work and oil painting are very much linked in terms of the methods and subject matter. She starts projects by undertaking drawings based on meticulous observation, but also by walking across landscapes to experience the emotional resonance of places, as well as their flora, and fauna. Although the mosaics comprise elements of decorative ornamentation, the realistic details of pattern and texture are integral to the designs.

 

Having trained as a historian and worked for many years as an academic publisher, Jane is fascinated by art history and always looks to an international range of traditions in decorative design to inform her work.

 

There is a deliberate relationship between Jane’s painting and mosaic practice – she treats the shaping of individual tiles like the mark making of the brush, with each piece being carefully cut by hand. The materials used in the mosaics are also specifically selected to include locally sourced elements such as Whitby jet, Sunderland lustre ware china, or found and recycled objects.