Liz Ashurst
Jane Walmsley is the designer who has created our new logo and publicity leaflet.
Liz: Do you remember meeting at Botanical Illustration in Redhill about ten years ago? I thought you were by far the best in the class and admired your exceptionally sensitive drawings. You were very modest in all respects and it was only later that I discovered you were also a whiz on your computer. Your name also sounded vaguely familiar: then it slowly dawned on me that I had a small Gallery Five card designed by you resting on my dresser.
I believe you originally trained in Textiles?
Jane: Yes, I did Textile design at the Central School from 1970 to ’73 specialising in printed textiles and costume design for the stage.
Liz: What did you do when you left college?
Jane: My Polish tutor knew a Polish illustrator who was looking for someone who could combine a bit of stage design with a bit of textile design and was interested in illustration. His name was Jan Pienkowski. I worked for him as a full time art assistant for seven years. When I first joined his studio he was designing a ballet for the Royal Opera House, producing a large collection of wallpapers for Coloroll and working on his 10th childrens’ book. He was also the Art director of his own company, Gallery Five, which produced greetings cards, wrapping paper etc. As well as assisting Jan with his projects I also created many designs for Gallery Five.
Liz: What was the inspiration for these designs?
Jane: I designed for Gallery Five over a 20 year period so obviously they varied widely. Many of them were inspired by medieval art, illuminated manuscripts and poetry. As a result the cards often had words incorporated into the design.
Liz: Was the card which I kept for so many years one of your earliest designs?
Jane: Yes, it was one of the first. The cards and wrappings papers could vary from a whole poem being used to endless repetition of a word such as ‘Noel’. Other designs might have been cartoonish characters such as Santa Claus, snowmen and cats in cut out paper chain form using bold colours. In 1980 I went freelance and continued to help Jan with his books and sell designs to Gallery Five who liked their artists to be exclusive to them. Otherwise I did a great deal of layout and paste up work for childrens’ books chiefly for Heinemann and Puffin. I also designed the junior Puffin club magazine for several years.
Liz: What are you currently involved with?
Jane: I’m still helping Jan with his books, the latest publication being ‘The Thousand Nights and One Night’, but generally I’m mostly focusing on fine art.
Liz: What is your main subject matter?
Jane: Botanical subjects, some of which are treated in an academic manner, that is, as realistically as possible, and others are in a painted graphic style with gouache.
Liz: Is there any particular subject which interests you more than others?
Jane: British native plants.
Liz: Where do you find them?
Jane: Whenever I go for walks I gather them from the hedgerows, as you know Liz, for you are often with me. I also try to grow my own in my small garden which to the casual observer looks like a heap of weeds.
Liz: What kind of media do you prefer?
Jane: Pencil, on its own, gouache or gouache with pencil shaded on top. I love strong, rich colours and find this medium produces intense colour and realism. Watercolour is just a little too wishy-washy for me.
Liz: You are also an obsessive recorder; whenever we are out you take your sketchbook and note every plant in flower, this could be a hundred or more species in one walk.
Jane: I actually have this mission to show people that our wild flowers and even our weeds are as beautiful as any garden plant. As it happens this ties in with present wild life and environmental concerns.
Liz: What do you intend to do in the future?
Jane: I’m hoping to sell more of my own greetings cards and wrapping paper and to sell designs to card companies. The Society of Botanical Illustrators will be exhibiting at Westminster Central Hall in London in April and I would like to show my work as a non member.
Liz: Thank you very much Jane and we wish you every success with your future work.