Maasai Village:

This painting is a large commission of a Maasai Village. Jan has done one before of the whole village, but this one is much more complex with more people. While Jan considers herself a "wildlife" artist she enjoys doing the tribal people of Africa as they are such an integral part of the experience there. She has been particularly fascinated by the culture of the Maasai people. They historically have been pastoral nomads - moving from place to place with their cattle, always in search of new grass and fresh water. They have resisted the influence of "western" culture for a hundred years, but in recent years their historical way of life has been disappearing at an alarming rate. Many have settled into "permanent" villages, even becoming farmers to some extent. When Jan first started going 13 years ago or so - the children were all dressed in traditional "shukas and kangas". Now most children wear old, worn and ill fitting clothing that well meaning but misguided tourists have given them. Jan fears a total disappearance of their culture within a few years.

Jan strongly believes in education for the Maasai - particularly girls. If you would like to help you can purchase hand made bead products that are made by a Maasai women's group in Kenya, particularly to fund the education of their girls. They have really neat dog collars - both of Jan's and James' "inside" animals have them! You can see them at "Beads for Education" : BEADS

This photo was taken during Jan's and James' honeymoon trip in 2001. Here Jan is purchasing a "wedding" necklace from a Maasai woman. This necklace is not the "mass produced" ones that can be found in most curio shops in Kenya and Tanzania; rather this was actually worn during a real wedding ceremony. This hangs on the wall in Jan's and James' bedroom.

Jan and James try to visit Maasai schools and clinics, taking with them much needed supplies. Here they are giving eye glasses and other basic necessities to the local Maasai doctor. He left his village and went to medical school, then returned to open this clinic outside the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya.


The preparation and research for this painting was quite time intensive. Jan went through all her files of photos, got photos from the clients (as they wanted the colors and patterns of the shukas to reflect the Maasai clan in Tanzania that they had visited, which wear more purples and patterns than the Maasai Jan has visited). Jan also has many books on the Maasai that she consulted. During her many years of traveling there she has collected a large assortment of necklaces, bracelets, head decorations, earrings and other intricate beaded work. Last year in Tanzania Jan negotiated the purchase of this Maasai warrior ostrich head dress. Notice Jan is wearing several bracelets, and she always wear this beaded watchband.		  
Warriors wear to two different head dresses - the lion mane and the ostrich feather. Each one is unique to the individual who made it. You can see the difference between the one Jan is holding in the previous photo and the one this warrior is wearing. They all have different shapes, beading and the way the feathers are attached. Sometimes the feathers go all the way around, sometimes only along the top.

Jan did a simple compositional sketch first for the clients (seen on the lower right). They liked the idea and wanted to see a more detailed version so Jan drew a more complicated and complete sketch for their approval. They liked the idea and gave the go ahead. You can see the grid system Jan has drawn on the sketch to help transfer it to the full sized drawing.

Once the sketch was approved Jan set to work doing the very detailed drawing on tracing velum that will be transferred to the painting. In doing animals, Jan does not do a very detailed drawing like this, but in this case it was important to do all the details of the patterned shukas, beads etc. The painting will be 30 x 40". The drawing took Jan over a week to do.

Jan works on untempered masonite panel. She buys full 4 x 8' sheets from the lumber yard and has them cut them in a more manageable half. Then at home, using a jigsaw, she cuts the masonite to size. She also has a small table saw she uses for smaller pieces.

Many people ask why she does not work on canvas. Jan doesn't feel that the texture of canvas has anything to do with the textures found in nature that she wishes to create - rocks, grass, dirt, moss, fur, etc. She finds the smooth surface of the masonite perfect for her techniques. Jan points out that many old time masters used wood for their painting surfaces - the Mona Lisa in fact, is one example of a famous painting done on wood.

Jan realized in all her postings of her WHAT'S ON THE EASEL NOW, and then PAINTINGS IN PROGRESS she had not shown her whole preparation process. She thought perhaps you might enjoy seeing how this is done. After cutting the masonite to the size she wants she applies a tinted gesso (a mixture of plaster, glue and sizing used by artists to prepare their painting surface) to the board. The color of gesso out of the jar is bright white - but Jan likes a more neutral color that she can then bring the values of her paint "up or down" on. Lately she is using a purple tint to the gesso more than just a gray, feeling it is helping to create more vibrancy. Purple is a color many old masters used for their base coats. She first applies the gesso to the board with a broad, flat brush.

While the gesso is still wet, Jan "pats" with a foam sponge to smooth it out and get rid of any brush strokes.

Jan then goes over the surface with a razor blade and knocks off any "bumps" that have occurred when she sponged the painting.

Jan then smoothes the surface with fine sandpaper. She repeats this process usually 4-5 times.

Jan has elected to paint the entire surface of the painting in a dark brown/purple. After doing that she is now transferring the outlines of the main elements of the drawing to the painting. Notice she is using a red pen - that is to keep track of what areas of the drawing she has transferred and what still needs to be done.

Here the outline of all the main elements of the painting have been transferred with the white artist transfer paper.

Jan now protects the main elements by painting on an artist masking fluid. She will also use cellophane to cover larger areas.

Now that all the main elements are "protected", Jan sets about creating an organic texture to the huts and the dirt. She does this initially by crumpling cellophane into white paint that is thinly applied. She follows the "direction" of the roof and walls of the cow dung huts, and then will crumble it somewhat into a ball and tap it into the dirt area.

Here the entire surface is done in white painting with "organic" textures using cellophane. The huts obviously have been done with Jan hold the cellophane "long and thin" into the paint, whereas the ground she "dabbed" the cellophane. Looks sort of like snow at this stage, doesn't it?

Now Jan has done a burnt umber (brown) wash over the entire painting. Now does it look a little more like dirt?

Maasai traditionally make their huts out of cow dung. The people move constantly, herding their cattle to better grass and water, so their homes are not permanent, although they have to last for the period of time they are in one place. The huts are built in a rough circle and then surrounded by thorn branches to keep out lions. Young calves and goats are kept in the boma as well. Here is a photo of Maasai women working on a hut - one is handing fresh cow dung to the other to patch the roof

Jan has now begun detailing the huts.

Here Jan is working on the ground area in the boma. She is using a toothbrush which she fills with paint and then runs her finger across to create texture.

In this photo the ground area has been completed and the masking materials removed. Jan has added the shadows so that she can determine the intensity of the illumination since shadows define light.

Jan will now tackle each Maasai on an individual basis. Here the drawing has been transferred to a woman with a child on her back

Here is the woman and child completed. Notice that Jan changed the patterns on the shuka, taking out the circles that were originally drawn in since there is a woman to the left which also has spots on her fabric. Jan felt that having the two similar patterns so close would conflict.

Paintings often take on a life of their own - dictating changes or additions that need to be made. After beginning work on the painting Jan noticed the large "black void" of the open doorway in the upper right. It is in a strong compositional area and Jan felt the eye would be drawn to the "emptiness" so she decided to add a child in the doorway

Jan is using her lighted magnifying lamp, as she is working on the minute details of one of the women's beaded necklaces. Notice she is holding a necklace to use as reference for the pattern and colors. Jan uses brushes with very fine tips to do the beads. These brushes wear down quickly in doing the beadwork - it is not unusual for Jan to go through 6-7 brushes in a painting such as this.

Jan is going to begin work on the warriors. The most important element in the painting is the jumping warrior, so Jan is going to go ahead and get him done. Here she has transferred the drawing to the dark brown/purple underpainting.

Here the very base coat has begun being applied to the face in various shades of browns. There is no detail, only hints of where the eyes, nose and mouth will be.

To now get more exact detail in the face, Jan transfers the drawing to the painting with the white artist transfer paper.

Here the face is almost completed.

Jan has now begun work on the "shuka", the brightly colored robes that the morani (warriors) wear. Jan really liked the way the light is coming through the fabric under the bent arm. She will put lots of layers of red on, building up the folds and the light reflecting on the fabric.

This is the finished jumping warrior. This dance is done as a show of strength. Each warrior will step out in turn (sometimes two at a time) and they will jump to see who can go higher. They will jump only three times, then step back and let the next warrior step forward. There is much banter as well as deep guttural grunts during the exhibition.

Here Jan has completed the second warrior - the one wearing the ostrich feather head dress. He has just been the one to jump and he is busy readjusting it.

More warriors have been completed.

The warrior on the right has been completed and the one on the left has been started. The dog is also finished. He is an important element in the composition because his position brings the viewers eye back into the painting.

Jan has completed the kids on the far left and the chicken. And the warrior that was started is completed. He is laughing at the warrior who is fixing his head dress.

Here is a photo of Jan flipping the drawing over the painting to transfer specific elements to the far off women.

The last figures of the two women in the back have been started. The loose first laying in of colors has begun to define the faces.

FINISHED!! This painting took the longest that Jan has ever worked on one single painting! It is 30 x 40" and is entitled "Ritual of the Warriors".