WHAT THIS ARTIST DOES ALL DAY...

JANE BEVAN

Inspired by the brilliant BBC4 series What Do Artists Do All Day?, this May we are continuing our occasional blog feature that pulls back the curtain on the everyday lives of the artists we know. This month, we are talking with mixed media nature artist Jane Bevan.
​
Jane, a Derbyshire-based artist whose studio is the ancient woodland she wanders daily. With a keen eye and a deep respect for nature’s overlooked details—thorns, feathers, bark, and acorn cups—Jane transforms these humble materials into finely crafted vessels, sculptures, and collages. Her work is a quiet homage to the natural world and draws inspiration from museum collections and heritage sites like the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
A first-class graduate of the University of Derby’s Crafts BA and recipient of the University Purchase Award, Jane now exhibits her intricate, hand-stitched creations in galleries and craft fairs across the UK. Come with us as we step into her world and see what an artist really does all day.

MG: So Jane, can you tell us how your working day starts? 
JB: I do love a slow start to the day and it takes several cups of tea to get me out of bed. I like to ease gently into the day wherever possible and I usually leave a simple but pleasing job from the day before, ready to tackle first thing and to get me warmed up to more challenging tasks. 

MG: Does your daily rhythm change with the seasons?
JB: I have a large studio space at the back of my house but it's incredibly cold and draughty in winter so I need to speed up and take more tea breaks. In summer I have the door open to the garden where I can see only greenery and trees and hear a wide range of birdsong too.

MG: What couldn’t you live without in your studio?
JB: I have a large tray of tools to choose from including some very old and vintage hammers, tin snips and bradawls, but my most essential item is the 10 year old dremmel with its selection of tiny drill bits to make holes in just about anything! 
Bark, wood, slate, shells...
I am also hopeless without the radio and a regular dose of Radio 4 everyday
​

MG: Where do you find inspiration?
JB: My inspiration comes from the natural world around me in Derbyshire...the tiny details of nature I collect each day. The more you look, the more you notice the tiny, unique details such as a fallen leaf, lichen from a tree, a lone piece of grass, all items which can be so easily overlooked or ignored. 
The Japanese philosophy of ‘wabi-sabi’ celebrates these same temporary, impermanent moments in nature and I enjoy researching this through books and collections. I also like to follow the Japanese ideas around forest bathing or ‘shinrin-roku’ with its role in health and well being and ‘kintsugi’ which celebrates and values the cracks and tears to objects as they are used and grow old.

Jane walking in her local woods

MG: How does the place you work in influence you, if at all?​
JB: I live in a small village next to some ancient woodland so walk everyday in the area with the dog called Mouse and a foraging bag. I like to collect things that catch my eye such as feathers, twigs, seeds, peeled away bark and leaves, to take back to my studio to use.

MG: What makes a good day?​
JB: I run creative workshops in my studio and in health care settings and galleries nationwide. These days are such a delight when a small group of people come together to sit around the table and make work together. People share their skills, their nature stories, gardening tips and more, creating a very generous and warm coming together of like minds. Always a day full of positivity, joy and laughter!

MG: When is your favourite time of day to create?
JB: The evening is my best time for being creative when there is a certain type of calm and quiet in the air and I feel relaxed after the day’s jobs are done. That does mean I often go to bed thinking about pine needles, bark and seed heads but that is an excellent way to get a good night’s sleep.

MG: Thank you for joining us today Jane!