Jan Coffman
contact info:
E: jcoffman07@yahoo.com
W: jcoffman.home.mchsi.com

artist statement

Many of my photographs are not sketched or painted. They are best left just as they were as I snapped the picture. I have marked them as "photograph," while the others are labeled "digital art."

In my digital darkroom, I can adjust the brightness and contrast as well as the saturation of the color just as film photographers do in a darkroom. I use at least two different computer programs with my pictures.

All of my digital art work is based on my digital photographs; editing and designing are done on the computer.

Using filters, I add artistic edge effects on one (or several) of the layers of my digital art work and arrange them to add movement to the picture. It is like using a pencil to sketch. I then take a second copy of the photo and paint it. When I paint a picture by hand, I usually do it on the computer. I have a Wacom tablet and an electronic pen that are connected to my computer. As I move the pen across the tablet, I am painting on a layer above the photograph. I can paint with oils, watercolor, chalk, pencil, and other tools.

Finally, I blend the painted pixels with the upper and underlying layers. On some of my pictures, I use as many as nine or more layers. Each layer is carefully arranged to the correct position before the art work is finished.

Janice (Jan) L. Coffman

Creating fine art photography has been Janice’s enjoyment since retirement from teaching in 2004. She loves to photograph the beauty of nature, the story of antiques, and the color of everyday items.

Jan has received several honors:

First place, Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art Member Show, St. Joseph, MO, 2008.
Her artwork is one of three winning artists in Les Bourgeois Winery 2008 Collector's Series annual Label Art Competition.
Jan received a second place award at Columbia Art League Members’ Show, November 2007.
She received the Visions Photography Exhibition Bank Purchase Award in September 2007.
Mizzou Alumni Association 2008 Calendar features three of Jan’s photographs.
She was accepted into the Missouri 50 Fine Arts Exhibition 2007 at the Missouri State Fair, a juried competition open to all Missouri artists.
Jan was juried into an exhibit at the Foundry Art Centre, St. Charles, Missouri, in 2007.
She received an Honorable Mention Award at Visions 2006, Photography Exhibition, First National Bank & Trust, Columbia, Missouri.

Published photographs of hers are in Well Versed 2008, 2007, 2006, and 2005, a literary publication of the Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers’ Guild. Her work was published in Missouri University Alumni Association Sesquicentennial Gala Program, September 2006.

She is a juried artist member of Best of Missouri Hands, a group dedicated to the development and recognition of Missouri's arts and artisans through education, interaction, and encouragement. You may view her membership page at: http://www.bestofmissourihands.com/jancoffmandesign.htm

She is a member of Columbia Art League, Columbia, MO; Foundry Art Centre, St. Charles, MO; and Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, St. Joseph, MO.

Her work is displayed at Columbia Art League, CAL Community Exhibits Program, Rendezvous Coffeehouse, and Orchids & Art all of Columbia, Missouri. A select number of her photographs are sold through Missouri Life Magazine’s Market Place:
http://www.missourilife.com/products/category/19

For over ten years before her retirement from teaching, Jan created digital photographs to enhance projects in the classroom as a teacher and web designer, designing both web sites and educational materials for students and adults in the St. Joseph, Missouri, School District. Jan has a Masters Degree in Information Science and Learning Technologies from Missouri University, Columbia, Missouri. Over the years, she has appreciated the artwork of others, participated in watercolor workshops, and developed her skills in digital art.

Jan is married to author and poet, James H. Coffman. She enjoys living close to her children and their families: John, Elizabeth, and Jim.

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