Jan Clouse Featured Artist at Hospice of Santa Barbara

Hospice of Santa Barbara welcomes local artist Jan Clouse, who will display her art in its Leigh Block Room art gallery space. Clouse is the fifth local artist to display her work in the spacious art gallery.

On Wednesday, January 26 from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Hospice of Santa Barbara will host a wine and cheese open house reception for the new exhibit.

Clouse’s artwork honors the beauty that comes from aging and the natural cycle of loss. By focusing on leaves, twigs, branches and other bits of vegetation that have been shed or fallen to the ground, she concentrates on life cycles present in nature to draw connections to the regenerative cycle of life.

“While most botanical artists capture the beauties of living blooms, I concentrate on detritus, such as pods, seeds and leaves starting to lose living color and taking on a broad range of subtler shades,” said Clouse.

Clouse’s drawing helped her come to terms with the loss of her mother. After her mother’s death, Clouse found a spiritual connection to her mother through her artwork, as it made her focus on the larger picture of life. While visiting her mother, father and grandparents’ graves, Clouse gathered some oak leaves and other bits of vegetation that had fallen nearby. She began to paint these leaves, and found the experience to be meditative while she came to terms with the loss of her loved ones.

Clouse began to seriously pursue drawing in 2005, focusing her attention on botanical illustration in colored pencil. Her work has been shown at Palm Loft Gallery, Gallery 855, Gallery 113, the Cabrillo Arts Pavilion, the Reynolds Gallery at Westmont College and the UCSB Faculty Club. She also shows with the drawing group Common Ground whose most recent exhibit was in The Vault gallery at Porch in Carpinteria. She taught English for 37 years at Dos Pueblos High School, and chaired the English department for 15 of those years.

Clouse will donate a portion of the proceeds from her art sales to Hospice of Santa Barbara, Inc., a volunteer hospice organization that offers free counseling and support services to more than 350 children and adults every month. Wine, refreshments and cheese will be provided at the open house reception. Clouse’s exhibition will be on display at Hospice of Santa Barbara through the end of March.

The mission of Hospice of Santa Barbara, Inc. is to provide care to anyone experiencing the impact of a life-threatening illness, or grieving the death of a loved one. For more information, please call (805) 563-8820 or visit online.