About Jan Lewis
I have a passion for dots—all kinds of dots. Through their simplicity and variety, I find great freedom, even insight.
I think what gave me a distinctive style is my love of drawing as a child, and that desire was rekindled when I was in college. I earned my BA in Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and then went on to study three years at the prestigious School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). I took only hands-on classes—I’d had enough of books—and found that graphic design captivated me. I finished my time at SAIC just as I married jazz great Ramsey Lewis. We traveled extensively and while away, desiring to stay creative I took wood bangles with me to paint and my dot style developed naturally. Studying Anthropology played an instrumental role as well, as I realized that often my designs and patterns were subliminally influenced by the many different cultures around the world that I had studied.
About Jan’s Art
The Jan Lewis Designs bangle was my first creation. Using acrylic paints and a “fat” paint technique with dots that produced an interesting texture, I created intricate designs.
I was pleased to have my bangles as one of the items in the coveted “Oscars®” gift bag for three years in a row. The gift bag was for those actors who had been nominated for an Academy Award.
After my bangle phase and then my lifestyle products venture, I turned my attention to my favorite to date — one of a kind pieces: bowls, vases, ring dishes, etc. I continued with the wood theme for these products and of course, my improvised “design-as-I-paint” style.
Inspiration
I am inspired by so many things around me every day. Many times I just ache to take something like an interesting pattern I might see, perhaps in as mundane a place as a cracked sidewalk, and “do something” with it. Of course, in my case it will be dots. I have no design in my mind when I begin a new piece. After getting my bearings with some strategic dots, I then follow my intuition. I’ll often run into a “brick wall” and then the task, the trick, the fun is to see how I’m going to get over it!
It is a highly improvised form of art, akin to how my husband Ramsey performs and composes at the piano.