Jane Burnham

1926 - 2016

BiographyJane was born into a military family on July 5, 1926, in Omaha, Nebraska. She traveled frequently as a child with her family. From an early age, Jane loved art and kindled a creative fire her whole life. As a small girl, she made paper dolls for herself and her friends, and she took up painting, for which she would become best known and which guided much of her artistic career. In addition to painting, she was an accomplished ceramicist and seamstress, and she played the accordion and harmonica with abandon. Talented in oil, acrylic, and pastel, Jane made her mark as a watercolor artist. She was a highly regarded teacher, taking groups of art students around the world, painting with them in Japan, France, Mexico, Italy, and Greece. Jane was a student of philosophy and spirituality, and she frequently incorporated these themes into her teaching, connecting her craft to her joie de vivre to inspire her students. In this spirit, Jane founded the Paint Yosemite Workshop, which brought in renowned artists as instructors and eager students from throughout the United States and Canada. Jane was a featured instructor throughout her years in the Workshop, carrying out on-location lessons, demonstrations, and one-on-one instruction in Yosemite's meadows, under its dramatic stone monuments, and near its streams. She touched the lives of countless students throughout her life, staying in touch with many of them; she continued to offer lessons in her home well into her 80s. Jane lived her life fully, joyfully, and always with an eye toward her next adventure.

Source:
Published by Santa Cruz Sentinel on Nov. 27, 2016

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