The way of art; the path of an artist; is a rather curious process. On many occasions people have asked me the inevitable question about the meaning of my art; what it is I'm thinking about when I create, or even more difficult, how it is that I develop my concepts. I have long been troubled by these questions and when reaching for a reply has always felt somewhat pretentious; my answers feeling forced and staged. I have devoted my entire adult life to my art; it has consumed me, driven me, haunted me, passed through me like the worst kind of fever, and in retrospect I must honestly admit that this artistic compulsion is an entity of its own and I but a pawn in its grasp. I will tell you honestly that there have been many occasions when I have sworn off art, my art, telling myself that I didn't need the frustration; that I was tired of the anxiety and uncertainty associated with the lifestyle of an artist. But that's the point; that's precisely the point that I'm trying to get across; my desire to be done with art, to be done with compulsion, was a desire born of rational thought. It was something that the slow and easy common sense part of my being sought. But I never gave in to that calling, for I could not; I am an artist and an artist is pulled by tides irrational and strong; because art is not the product of cold logic; it is the result of intuition and suspended judgment. So a rational mind comes along and inquires as to the meaning of my art and I resort to language, a logical process, in an attempt to answer that, which is illogical. When I first began my artistic career I attempted to give meaning to all of my art. I would attempt to create a painting that dealt with a social issue or a political-philosophical question. I would consciously seek a concept and attempt to tailor my art to it. For me the process never worked well. That thoughtful and calculative nature of the process killed something sacred. It took me awhile to discover this. Somewhere during those early years I happened upon the key, the pathway that leads an artist home. I came to know the unknowable; that intuitive irrational aspect of the soul, which we all possess, which all of us is able to use if only we learn to tap it. It was then that my art began to take on a character of its own, separate of me, if you will. Background: In recent years, Jane has emerged as an important American artist. Born in Basile, Louisiana, she began painting during the 60's. First exhibited in Scottsdale, Arizona, her paintings and prints soon found their ways into collections (both public and private) and galleries across the world. Bazinet produced her first graphics in the early 80's. The limited edition serigraphs (Dancers Ascent and Aft and Fro) quickly sold out, as did larger subsequent editions. Although she has worked in numerous mediums, deftly treating a variety of themes, she is best known for her lyrical figurative work, which dwells at a mysterious crossroad between poetic realism and abstract expressionism. She has been recognized as an artist with an extremely personal style and technique, which is romantic and contemporary. Jane studied at Arizona State University for five years and continued studying art thereafter as an apprentice under the able tutelage of several painters including Woody Payne, Merrill Mahafey, and Dorothy Fratt. While in Arizona, Bazinet began entering competitions and soon began accepting numerous awards. Yearning to practice her art outside of this competitive atmosphere, she decided to move on. Her interest in the history of architecture led her to study Art History at San Francisco State University but the call of art pulled her on further to major in sculpture. All the while she continued to paint; watercolor was her favorite medium after all. She then moved to England and studied etching in a small school in Putney. Finding her way to Wimbledon she met Mr. Israel, a teacher who had perhaps the greatest influence on her. It was here that her figurative work began to take root and grow to maturity. Upon leaving England she moved to Houston and became an assistant to and shared a studio with Jose Perez. She soon began exhibiting her own work nationally and then worldwide. When asked what influences she could cite in her work, Bazinet responded, "Everything I do is influenced by my upbringing in Louisiana; for whatever reason I do it, however I do it, why I think and things I eat, the cars I drive, the swamps I like, being adventurous, It has to do with some kind of freedom that influences everything you do - everything. I would go other places and I found that no one was as happy as we were. When I left there everybody was unhappy to be a woman for some reason. They were out trying to be liberated and I thought I already was. No one ever told me there was anything wrong with being whatever I wanted to be. I don't like to paint unhappiness anymore. I think it's totally unnecessary. Classical music influences me a lot. There's another dimension I go into when I'm working. It's like an out of body experience. Music carries me from here, with you, into that other dimension. Sometimes I don't even know I'm painting these. They just happen. I like working in series and I like doing the research for those series. I've done a series on Wagner's opera the Ring of the Neibelung and a series on Scherazade. Lately I've been thinking about New Orleans. Nothing heavy, just the thought of it and of the carnival. So I'm doing a series on the carnival now. Recently, while in Maine, I reread The Canterbury Tales. That will be my next series. Often I am drawn into a series. In my early years as an artist I was painting soft feminine forms and I was dissatisfied with the lack of strength in my work. I was studying them under a wise and talented man. I remember telling him that I wanted to paint strongly; I wanted to paint like a man. My teacher smiled warmly and said, yes you should paint strongly, but not like a man. Rather, you should find that strength in your own femininity. That is what I have strived to do."