Jan Schmuckal Fine Art Editions

A native of St. Charles, Illinois, Jan Schmuckal was the kind of kid always in the middle of some sort of art project, thanks to her very indulgent parents! She graduated from the University of Illinois in 1986 with a degree in Industrial Design, and spent the following years as a designer in the Point-of-Purchase industry. After many years as a designer, she had an overwhelming desire to start painting again, which she had not done since high school.  She started out in a little makeshift studio in the corner of her apartment bedroom. At that time, Jan made a conscious decision to go in an impressionistic direction as an artist rather than as a realist because it provided a break from the realistic renderings that she did every day as a designer. To further hone her technique she pursued an ad-hoc education, taking workshops and classes from both nationally accredited and local artists. She entered regional shows, then national shows, placed her work in galleries, gave painting workshops, (quit her design job!) opened 3 successive art studios, taught art classes... and in 2005, Jan opened an art gallery in a 112-year-old house in Geneva, Illinois which closed in 2022. She now resides in St. Charles.

    "The changing light of day and the moods it evokes are the foundation of all my oil paintings. Each piece usually starts with a powerful,   simple composition, which then evolves into a theme where strong light and shadow and deep color are within the primary subject.
     Strength, mood and simplicity are my primary intentions, moreso than depicting a particular place or time."

Jan's painting style is derived from the Tonalist Movement, which was started in the US and practiced by American artists while the Impressionists were painting in France, in the decades surrounding 1900.
 

Many of her paintings are done Alla Prima, also known as direct painting, which means; A style of painting where, instead of building colors up with layers, the painting is done in one session on a toned canvas while the paint is still wet. From the Italian word which literally means at once. She feels that this style of painting helps her intention to be succinct within each painting. As a note of interest, no black is used in any of her paintings.

All of the giclee editions available here are produced by me in my studio.