An interview with Blue Mountain's artist Jan Melville

 

Janice: Before you've put pen to paper or whichever medium you're working with, do you have a good idea of the end result?  

Jan Melville:  I do not always know the end result of some of my works, mostly the ones that I know are my etchings as I do sketches of the ideas before making the plates to work on.

I seem to get the ideas in my mind and when working them up into sketches, I can change parts of it as I go.

Or even start all over again if not happy with how the end result is looking. 

Janice: Which are your favorite mediums to work with? 

Jan Melville:  I like to work with collage, mixed media and etchings.

I like the freedom that say collage and mixed media bring. When working with them they allow me to be a lot looser when I work, as against when I work in printmaking I get tighter as there is only the one go to get the work right. 

Janice:  Your work resonates with a connection to nature. Has this always played a part in the themes you explore in your work?

Jan Melville:   Since moving to the Blue Mountains I became a lot more aware of nature as we are surrounded by bush.  This has made me stop and really look at what is there.  Not just above and around me but also on the ground beneath me.