ABOUT

Jan Erika is one of the UK's most sought-after abstract artists, as well as a classically trained concert cellist. Her musical roots are revealed through the dynamic musicality of her paintings, which communicate like a melody.

This dance between rhythm and pattern, colour and expression, sound and paint, form the basis of her art. Whether forty-foot murals or delicate glassware decoration Jan paints with a productive synaesthesia that somehow expresses sound visually.

Jan had a rural upbringing and the forms of the natural world emerge in her work. The shape of the wind soughing in the reeds, the curvature of a leaf, the bright blackness of a seed, the dark line of the shore, a spatter of birdsong: what she calls "the rhythm of the landscape" guides her hand.

Jan has enjoyed a successful career in music; recording with such luminaries as Paul Weller is a highlight. To Jan the distinction between performing music and painting murals is not a strong one. "The drama of the scale of the murals I paint gives me the same feeling as performing solo. I love the excitement of creating something totally original and fresh."

Success has followed her move into painting, and she can now boast an impressive client list. Jan paints private commissions on canvas as well as large scale murals and her work is just as likely to be found in the entrance halls of skyscrapers as the drawing rooms of Surrey. Most recently, Jan met King Charles III in June when she created a painting for the anniversary of the D - Day landings.