Inside the Studio: The Techniques Behind Jane de France's Expressionist Landscapes

Every original painting carries a process behind it, one that is often invisible to a viewer seeing only the finished work. For collectors and admirers of contemporary fine art, understanding the techniques an artist uses can deepen appreciation for a piece long after it has found its place on a wall. This article looks inside the studio practice of Jane de France, exploring the methods and influences that shape her expressionist landscapes and floral compositions.

A Studio Rooted in Auckland

Jane de France paints from her own studio in Auckland, a space she describes as her creative getaway and haven. It is here that her landscapes, seascapes, and floral works take shape, drawing on New Zealand's natural surroundings as a constant source of inspiration. Her development from an artistic family upbringing to her current expressionist style is documented in more detail on her site.

Her earliest artistic influences came from close family, including her grandfather's paintings and her mother's drawings, with early memories of sketching horses forming part of her creative foundation. This grounding in observational drawing later evolved into a more expressive, emotion-led approach that defines her current body of work.

The Influence of Impressionism and Expressionism

Jane's work is often described as a captivating relationship between impressionism and expressionism, with her compositions reaching a maturity influenced by artists such as Claude Monet and Joan Mitchell. This dual influence is worth unpacking, since it shapes much of what makes her landscapes distinctive.

Impressionism, as practised by artists like Monet, is concerned with capturing light, atmosphere, and fleeting moments rather than precise detail. Expressionism, by contrast, prioritises emotional truth over visual accuracy, often using bold colour and gestural mark-making to convey feeling. Jane's landscapes sit between these two traditions, using atmospheric, light-driven composition alongside a freer, more emotionally charged application of paint.

Process: Starting With Form and Emotion

According to Jane, her process is an exploration that delves into the depths of emotion and identity, initiated by form and composition with strong brushwork and markings. Rather than beginning with a fixed, detailed plan, many of her works develop intuitively, allowing the emotional tone of a piece to guide decisions around colour and texture as the painting progresses.

This intuitive approach is reflected in how she describes her own practice: each painting is spontaneous, representing her feelings and energy at that particular time, depicting the world as it feels rather than strictly as it looks. This distinction, between painting how something feels versus how it literally appears, is central to understanding her expressionist landscapes.

Key Techniques in Her Landscape and Floral Work

Several recurring techniques appear across Jane's landscape and floral paintings, contributing to the layered, textured quality collectors often notice up close.

Technique	Description	Common Effect
Layered glazing	Applying thin, translucent layers of paint over a base	Adds depth and luminosity to seascapes and skies
Textured brushwork	Visible, expressive strokes applied with energy	Conveys movement and emotional intensity
Colour layering	Building colour in stages rather than flat application	Creates richness and subtle tonal shifts
Gestural mark-making	Loose, spontaneous application of paint	Reflects the expressionist influence in her style

These techniques are particularly visible in works such as seascapes, where slightly textured surfaces and glazing techniques are used to convey a sense of serenity or calm, examples of which can be seen among her currently available paintings.

From Reserved Beginnings to Energetic Freedom

Jane's own account of her artistic development describes a shift from reserved, traditionally trained characteristics toward a newfound energetic freedom of style. This evolution has brought a playfulness and loosening of earlier conformity into her current work, with a vibrant new direction continuing to develop.

This shift is significant for understanding her landscapes and floral pieces today, many of which carry a sense of movement and spontaneity that reflects this more liberated approach to mark-making. Rather than adhering strictly to representational accuracy, recent works lean further into abstraction while still retaining recognisable ties to their landscape or floral subject matter.

Recognition and Reception of Her Technique

Jane's technical approach has attracted recognition within New Zealand's art community. As a member of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, she exhibits with a number of galleries around the country, and her work has been described by judges and critics as passionate, ethereal, and dramatic. One judge's award comment on her painting "Roses in the Storm" noted how the work captures roses floating in a vaporous mist, with the artist manipulating paint on canvas to its best advantage while balancing conflicting impressions of serenity and chaos.

This kind of critical response reflects the technical control underlying what can appear, at first glance, to be spontaneous or loosely applied brushwork. In reality, achieving that sense of controlled emotional expression requires considerable skill in layering, glazing, and colour balance.

How These Techniques Translate Into Commissioned Work

For collectors interested in a piece tailored to their own space, these same techniques carry through into custom pieces made for a specific home or building in Auckland. During a commission, clients can discuss preferred colours, dimensions, and style, giving Jane the opportunity to apply her characteristic layered glazing and expressive brushwork to a composition designed specifically for a particular room.

This means a commissioned piece is not simply a smaller or larger version of existing work, but a new composition developed using the same emotionally driven process that defines her broader collection, informed by the client's own vision and space.

Viewing the Technique in Person

While photographs can convey colour and general composition, the layered and textured quality of Jane's work is best appreciated in person, where changing light reveals the depth created through glazing and brushwork. Visiting a current show, dates for which are regularly updated, offers the closest opportunity to study these techniques directly, alongside the chance to discuss process and inspiration with the artist or gallery representatives.

Frequently Asked Questions

What painting style does Jane de France work in?

Her work blends impressionism and expressionism, combining atmospheric, light-driven composition with emotionally expressive brushwork and colour.

What materials or methods create the textured look in her paintings?

Layered glazing and textured brushwork are key techniques, applied in stages to build depth, particularly in seascapes and landscape pieces.

Are her landscapes based on real New Zealand locations?

Her work draws inspiration from New Zealand's landscapes, gardens, and everyday life, though pieces are generally interpreted expressively rather than depicted as literal representations.

How has her technique changed over time?

Jane's style has moved from a more reserved, traditionally trained approach toward a freer, more energetic form of expression, with increasing use of gestural mark-making and abstraction.

Can these techniques be applied to a custom commissioned piece?

Yes, commissioned artwork follows the same emotionally driven process and technical approach, adapted to the client's preferred colours, dimensions, and space.

Where can I see examples of these techniques in person?

Attending a current exhibition is the best way to view layered glazing and brushwork up close, with dates available through the artist's own listings.