About me

I am a contemporary South African artist working in expressive abstraction with a deep love of colour.
My paintings explore the deep and complex layers of existence, perception, and connection. I’m interested in how the external influences the internal, and how our inner worlds frame the meanings we attach to life. These tensions—pushing and pulling—shape who we are and how we respond to the world.

Each piece is both my own exploration of this layered response and an invitation to you, the viewer: to pause, reflect, and find your own meanings. I see my works as open spaces—holding my voice, but also making room for yours—where outer and inner landscapes meet in conversation.
When i paint, my soul sings.
In my studio I work with oils, acrylics, oil sticks, and mixed media to create layered surfaces that balance freedom and structure, spontaneity and intention. My process is intuitive and experimental—often beginning with open mark-making, evolving through bold colour fields, and finding depth in tactile surface textures. Colour sits at the heart of everything I do: as an emotive force, as a connector, and as a way to echo the shifting landscapes around me as well as the inner landscapes of memory and experience.
Created to create
Alongside my studio practice, I am committed to teaching and creative mentorship. I run art classes and workshops that encourage others to develop their own artistic voice, blending solid fine art fundamentals with freedom to explore and play.

My paintings have been exhibited locally, including most recently the AITY Gallery and abroad, and they live in private and corporate collections around the world.
Creating, giving back and making a difference are core elements of my art and who i am.
Jane with husband Al in AITY Gallery with one of her paintings

History & Overview

Jane Barnes studied at the Andrew Owen School of Art, graduating with distinction in 2014. Over the past eleven years she has steadily built a professional practice that is both locally rooted and internationally engaged. Her work has been included in group exhibitions, most recently at the AITY Gallery as well as previously at Art.b Gallery, IN-FIN ART, Imibala Gallery, Bright Street Gallery and Southhill Gallery. Internationally, she has exhibited at Art Nou Millenni Gallery (Barcelona) and at Day2Day Gallery in Collioure, France.

Her work is also displayed in hospitality spaces including Banhoek Lodge with the Voice Collective and Asara Wine Estate.

Beyond her studio, teaching and exhibition practice, Jane is strongly committed to community engagement. She has led large-scale public art projects, including murals in the Seychelles and Jamaica, the latter evolving into a collaborative community artwork. She also contributes annually to the Somerset West Night Shelter’s Art and Wine Auction and has participated in other charity initiatives, most recently supporting CoolPlay at their 2025 gala dinner.

Jane has taken part in artist retreats and residencies, including Helen van Stolk’s Art Retreat and a residency in Tuscany (2024).

Welcome to my world,
I am so glad you are here! 
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