Jan Keels
Jan Keels is a self-taught
outsider artist from New Orleans. She is a survivor of Hurricane Katrina and has
spent the past two years rebuilding her life after losing nearly all of her possessions
to the disaster. Much of her strength comes from her work, which she describes
as follows:
Jan Keels lives in a world
of images, visions and spiritual qualities which requires constant discovery and
exploration. She lives in a region through which the sun and the moon, stars and
the wind, the mountains, rivers and flowers flow in a magical rhythm. A minute
can last a day, a day may last an hour - but in her art, Jan experiences all seasons
of the heart.
Those things closest to her are expressed in bright colours, soulful words and fluid sketches. Jan is secretive, but her artwork is liberating. She often finds the real world complex and moody, so her images are romantic. Jan discovers modern-day life, love and spirituality very fragile, so her artwork bonds commitment to truth. "I yearn to capture the invisible," said Jan - "love, faith, growth, fulfillment, a heartbeat." She has decided to create these strengths out of chaos, and by doing so she has tapped the unexpressed wishes and spiritual energy bound in each of us. When she disappears into her work, we are found. When she invokes the fears that chain us, we are freed. And in doing so, we find a world where every day is a celebration of thought, of feeling, of love, love lost and love rediscovered . . . a celebration of the heart which has learned to survive.
"First Law Love," below left and "God's Laws," below right. Both are acrylic paint on plywood.