Jane Suvarnakich Gonzalez is mostly a self taught artist. I’m a member of the Color Pencil Society of America and the Northwest Watercolor Society.
I do have a certification in Nature Science Illustration from the University of Washington. Other than that, I’ve studied acrylic painting under Dianna Shyne and watercolor painting with Molly Hashimoto and Carolyn Buchanan. I’ve also taken workshops with other well-known and award winning artists including Lian Zhen, Cheng Khee-Chee, Bart Rulon, Gary Greene, Anne deMille Flood, and Sheila Theodoratos.
I became an artist late in life. When young, an art teacher gave me the impression that I had no artistic talent. When I was in my 30s, I discovered I had a talent for painting in watercolor and acrylic mediums when I started a class in watercolors as a stress relief from work. I decided to leave my position with the Federal Government, move to the Pacific Northwest, and pursue an art career because that had become my main passion and love.
My initial artistic endeavor was in creating beaded jewelry combining the artistry of unique or antique pieces with beads. I handpick each bead and each piece is lovingly handcrafted into one of a kind jewelry. My jewelry has sold in both Virginia and Washington with small boutiques and galleries.
My aptitude for painting wildlife and plants actually came from my love for them at an early age. Since I was a child, I had an affinity with animals. Most of my photos as a child had me with a dog, or cat on my lap, and even a bird in my hair. I’ve also traveled extensively since I was a child because my father was in the military. Also, my heritage is part Thai and part Puerto Rican which added to my life of visiting other places and cultures. I remember visiting a white tiger sanctuary near New Delhi, India, and an elephant camp in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I’ve an affinity for animals since I was a child and even enjoyed working at a Veterinary Clinic in Edmonds, Washington, for one year in 2000, caring for them. Also, while in Maryland, I studied for a year in 1992 with a medical herbalist because I wanted to learn both western and eastern medicinal herbs.
I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest because of the wildlife and plant life I experienced while on a summer school trip. We traveled from Silver Spring, Maryland to the Cascade Mountain range. Later after I moved to Washington State, one of my biggest thrills was meeting a black adolescent bear on Mt. Rainier when hiking. I’ve been to a number of countries and have been to most of the World’s continents except for Australia and Africa but I plan to get there.
My proclivity for wildlife and plants come through in my nature paintings. My sensitivity has lead to a number of paintings of animals with personality. A friend told me that only I could make a bat look cute and have personality. Those who have bought or been given my artwork have cherished them because they see that my love of animals and plants shine through and it evokes the same love, sense and wonder.
