Octopus Gyotaku Print

Jane Evans – Biography Jane studied for her fine art degree at Manchester School of Art. She was a latecomer being 43 when she graduated. Her work consisted mainly of water colour at this time. For her degree show she was awarded the Ken Billany painting prize. Shortly after the completion of her degree, she moved to Anglesey with her husband David. A busy few years then followed where she was an integral part of the team setting up Dylan’s Restaurant which is owned by her husband David and his business partner Robin. Jane bought many creative ideas to the business including her much loved collection of North Wales holiday photographs which appear in each of the three restaurants. It was during 2017 when they were working on the Llandudno restaurant, that Jane discovered the Gyotaku print making method. Since 2017, although continuing to paint, Jane has found herself spending more time working using the Gytoaku printing method. She has perfected the technique now and is one of few artists internationally that uses this method to print lobster and other shellfish which due to their rigid, three dimensional nature are notoriously hard to print from. Off the back of the Anglesey Open Studios in 2022, where Jane opened her garden studio to visitors and showed her Gyotaku printing, she has now settled on working harder with this method of printmaking. Not only to improve her technical ability but to think more about how this work can reflect the landscape in which she lives. Working with a local fisherman, with each print she makes she now provides a photograph of the specimen or specimens and information on where they were caught or gathered and by whom and on what date. Providing this detail gives the work greater provenance. While many Gyotaku artists work in monochrome, almost making a scientific recording of the specimen, Jane brings in her painterly training using her specimens almost like canvases on which she blends and plays with the inks. Jane is attending the Manchester Art Fair in November 2022 and has an exhibition in Oriel Ynys Mon in April 2023 and continues to seek new opportunities for her work.