Jan Bloom ~ Résumé & Bio
Jan Bloom ~ Résumé & Bio
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Childhood adventures at the edge of Pasadena, Texas, where the suburban backyards blended into coastal prairies and bayous full of wildlife, formed Jan Fields’ sensibilities regarding nature in all its grandeur and minutiae. Patterns and geometry, colors in endless variations, subtleties of light: these themes play throughout her work.
As a high-school student, she experimented with acrylic painting, drawing with various media, printmaking, collage and fiber art, and was awarded both a study scholarship to MFAH’s studio school and recognition from Scholastic Art Award. While enrolled at UT Austin as a Plan II major, Jan continued with studio art courses for two years until disallowed by the college system’s course requirements, whereupon she left in disgust for the open road, ending in New York City.
There she discovered art training at several different schools, including School of Visual Arts where she studied graphic design, print production, and illustration; and Art Students League, which included courses of study in portraiture, figure, still life and landscape painting with instructors Daniel Green, David Leffel, and Richard Goetz. During the time at ASL she earned two year-long Merit Scholarships and a Certificate of Achievement for Fine Arts.
After returning to Houston in 1985, Jan’s time was spent as a graphic designer and print production artist, with a sideline of costuming for the fun of it. In 2006, she quit her day job, and is back to gazing at natural and unnatural phenomena and observing the world, sometimes through a camera lens. In addition to visual arts, she is involved in dance activities and is a SCUBA diver. She lives and works in the Heights neighborhood of Houston.