Jan Fontecchio Perley
Moscow, Idaho
Artist Jan Fontecchio Perley’s lifelong passion for animals and art merges in the images she paints. Her Western subject matter is executed with an impressionistic realism, using a limited color palette. Jan captures the essence of her subjects in the details, whether it be the playful visage of a cow or the delicate feathers of a colorful bird. She paints as the ultimate fulfillment of symmetry and exactness. Her work embodies a genuinely jovial exuberance. “My heart longs for beauty and the desire to possess it, art engrosses me in that quest completely,” says Jan. Often working on two pieces simultaneously, Jan paints from a small studio in her home in Idaho.
Artist Statement
In Plato's Philebus, beauty consists of symmetry and exactness. My early life had neither, and my longing for it resulted in pencil drawings, collages made of rocks pushed in the sand, and baling wire animal sculptures. I sought it in animals, through training dolphins and exotic animal rescue. I sought it in sky and sea, through hang gliding and scuba diving. My quest took me backpacking and mountain climbing. But through all that, I created art, and in the end I found that for me, painting is the ultimate fulfillment of symmetry and exactness. My heart longs for beauty and the desire to somehow possess it and art engrosses me in that quest completely. My eye continually searches for that which stirs heart and paintbrush, and when they sing in tune, my art is the result.
Artist Background
Antelope Valley College
Associate of Arts, 1993
California State University, Northridge
Associate of Arts