Painter Jane Seymour celebrates life through art, and is herself a magnet for cultural happenings. Consider this: in 1973 she was the Bond girl Solitaire in Live and Let Die. In 1997, Radiohead recorded OK Computer in her house.
Looking at her paintings today, they are bursting with colour and appreciation for the old French masters. Her smaller rendition of Monet’s famously large water lilies is less monochrome than the original.
“I use combinations of colour and texture to bring out the violets and teals,” explains Seymour at the Port Credit location of Art Trax gallery. “When you see the original in real life, it’s a dull green.”
Seymour makes the experience of viewing paintings more vivid with brighter pigments. It’s a simple but very effective solution to the jaded modern eye that usually won’t stop for anything. Seymour has had a lifetime to consider what makes art worth seeing.
“As a child I loved painting, but I wanted to be a dancer,” Seymour says, “but I suffered a ballet injury as a girl. That pressed me toward acting instead. Even then, to finance independent productions, I made knit ware, and was also an interior designer and decorator.”
This helps explain how Seymour can offer a line of jewelry and sculptures, as well as her paintings. Her command of the craft of visual art is highly developed because of her decades of experience.
As well, she regards her art as a kind of invitation to affirm life, and hers seems geared toward generating maximum pleasure.
“My paintings are open to interpretation,” explains Seymour, “because it is important for the painter to respect other people’s beliefs. Everyone is going to bring their eyes and ideas to the things they see. Tolerance and understanding takes the painter beyond the painting, and closer to the viewer.”
With all the love she lavishes on these sculptures and canvases, the joy they generate feels effortless. But for the artist, parting is often bittersweet. “These artworks are like my babies,” concludes Seymour, a mother of four, “it’s hard to let go sometimes.”
The Art of Jane Seymour continues at Art Trax Gallery (110 Lakeshore Rd E.) until Nov. 19.
