Jean Mintoft- My Story.

 

I was brought up in Hull, East Yorkshire and have always loved drawing, painting and crafts, even though no-one else in the family was the least bit artistic.

Throughout my school years art and craft continued to be my main hobby. One notable thing happened when I was 10 or 11 years old. A friend of my adoptive mother, who lived next-door-but-one to us, bought me a set of oil paints for my birthday, and taught me how to use them. I was delighted! Only in the last year have I discovered that this lady was my birth mother, which makes sense of my life-long desire to draw, paint and make things!

I never considered art as a career, but in 1999, after my husband and I had retired, we moved to the west coast of Wales. There, inspired by the beautiful scenery, I started to paint landscapes and was often asked to paint commissions for holidaymakers.

We moved to Plymouth in August 2014. I am currently Secretary of the Plymouth Watercolour Society and a member of the Breakaways Art Group in Oreston, Plymouth. I am also a member of the Drawn to the Valley group of artists. When I first came to Plymouth, I mainly painted in pastel, but since then have experimented with various media and my current favourite is acrylics, with oils a close second. Most of my paintings are representational in genre.

At the heart of my life is my Christian faith, and I see painting as an amazing way to express myself spiritually, by attempting to show joy, beauty, clarity, wonder, wholesomeness and “life” in my work. I especially love colour and such things as a sunset sky and the sparkle of sunlight on the sea always cause my spirits to rise and I am fascinated by the contrast of light and shade, dark and light. Strong defined colours are my favourites, and in general I avoid muted colours.

 

For subject matter, I love to paint landscapes or seascapes, floral subjects, dogs or other animals and children as they play. Bright, joyous subjects always attract me.

 

If I were to sum up in one sentence what I aim for in my work, it would be this:

I would like my painting to lift the spirits and bring hope and joy in some way to the person who sees it.