“Oh, gather it Angel, that small-flowered herb of healing.
Create a vase and preserve it. Set it among those joys
Not yet open to us…”

— Rainer Maria Rilke

Painting is like that, a moment of trying to capture that flash of color or the last sparkle of dying sunlight that grabbed me to stop and look. Awe or delight in the present, suddenly meeting with past hurts or pleasures, in that instant, that makes me fumble for a brush to make some kind of mark, to try to hold that drop of eternity that is breaking my heart open.
Many of these canvases were started on location and others were created from watercolor sketches I made while wandering. Small reproductions of some sketchbook, and location paintings have been included in this exhibit since I love looking at other artist’s initial jottings.

— Jan Ramsey

I have painted on location most of my life. I was born in Santa Monica, CA, and attended college at USC, studying chemistry, and then at Rocky Mountain College in Montana. Montana landscapes made way for Lake Superior seascapes near the Apostle Islands in Ashland, WI. I finished a BFA at Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, and then did art therapy training at UW Superior. I moved to Arcata and Eureka, CA, in 1990 and got an MA from HSU in art therapy and social work.

I have taught art at Equinox Center for Education, The Children’s Art Academy, North Coast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy and workshops in big brush painting for Hospice and Senior Centers. In 1994 I started the ART FOR LIFE STUDIO for adults with severe mental illness who want to work as artists. I have tried to help others feel that their own lives are works of priceless art.

My other passion, during the last 10 years, is walking through Europe on the ancient pilgrim trails, from Norway and south through the northern countries and into Italy, France and Spain, with sketchbooks.

Second Saturday Gallery Reception:

October 14, 5 pm – 8 pm

Free admission

Mendocino Art Center hosts a free Second Saturday Artists Reception each month. Enjoy snacks and wine, and meet the exhibiting artists.