Jane Skingley British, b. 1963

Jane Skingley is recognised for her paintings of seascapes and landscapes in oil. Her first exhibition was a huge success and since then she has gone from strength to strength exhibiting in galleries and art shows all over the country. In 2008, her work was selected from a long list of hopefuls to be exhibited at the summer season at the prestigious Glyndebourne Opera House. Skingley’s mainly large scale paintings focus on the mood evoked by the sea. She spent much of her childhood sailing around the British coast, which remains her inspiration. She now enjoys pottering by the sea with her children, crabbing, rock pooling and making sandcastles at her family beach hut in the Witterings. Her paintings are notable in the way they capture the energy and power of the elements. Sometimes headlands or rocks are included as well as acres of wet sand. She works in the studio from photographs and sketches taken during trips and holidays. Working in oils, Skingley builds up layers of colour to achieve richness and depth.  The paintings are produced instinctively, evoking mood and atmosphere rather than a search for realism. Paint is applied by brush, hand, palette knife and even by flicking and each painting takes weeks to complete all the layers.