DGWGO FEATURED ARTIST

JANE MADDEN is an artist and illustrator who lives and works in Dumfries and Galloway.

She spent her early years on a farm in the Lake District before moving to a farm in South Devon and has always had a keen interest in wildlife and the countryside.
Jane did a foundation course in art at Plymouth College of Art and Design and went on to do a degree in Illustration at the University of Westminster, London.
She moved, with her family, to Dumfries and Galloway in 2004 and has since built her own studio called ‘Black Cat Art Cabin’ at her home near Kirkton.

The Dumfries and Galloway countryside is a constant source of inspiration for her artwork as it is “…so beautiful and rich in wildlife. Every season has its own character and there is always something to see.”
Jane is, currently, working on a series of paintings of ‘Birds in Landscapes’ but she also paints animal portraits and particularly enjoys painting farm animals. She likes to use a variety of different mediums for her artwork but most of her larger paintings are either oil or acrylic paint on canvas.

She has, also, painted murals at a couple of local primary schools (Duncow Primary School and Ae Primary School). At Duncow Primary School she painted a ‘Four Seasons’ mural and, also, painted some designs on the playground. At Ae Primary School she painted a ‘Tree of Knowledge’ mural which is composed almost entirely of words.

Jane has, recently, created a large mosaic for the ‘Sam Leask Memorial Playground’ in Kirkton. The playground mosaic was commissioned by Sam Leask’s mother, Katharine. Katharine assisted Jane in the creation of the mosaic.

She has, also written and illustrated a children’s book called ‘Fartimus – Fart Propelled Owl’ which is a humorous story, told in rhyme, about a little owl with a BIG problem with wind. The book is on sale at Tarff, the Heathhall Garden Centre and is also available on Amazon. Her inspiration for the illustrations in the book was drawn from the Dumfries and Galloway countryside.

For ‘World Book Day’ Jane ran a folding book making workshop at Ae Primary School. The children at the school were asked to create a story of a journey. Jane produced some examples to inspire the children. One was a journey of the imagination, where a boy imagines travelling to the moon. Another is of a snail’s journey across the patio. The children came up with some fantastic ideas of their own and thoroughly enjoyed the workshop.
Jane feels very privileged to live in such a beautiful place as Dumfries and Galloway.