Shell Beach artist Jayne Schelden shows her work at Linnea’s in SLO
Though most hikers notice nature’s beauty that passersby may overlook, a hiking artist tends to see even more.
Painter Jayne Schelden of Shell Beach sees the details in trees, leaves, dirt and rocks, as well as the vast landscape and the relationship between them. Add cascading light, and she finds inspiration. She said she is inspired by early California landscape artists such as Maurice Braun, William Wendt and Granville Redmond and contemporary open impressionist Erin Hanson. “I look for composition and light and can see in my mind’s eye what colors I would like to use,” Schelden said in an email interview. “I use my images for the basic structure of my painting and to capture details. I get an impression of what colors I will use based on my feelings or mood that the scene inspires in me.”
Her paintings are textured, boldly colored oil paintings with broad brush strokes. They begin with Schelden’s outdoor images that are captured on camera. She carries one with her on hikes.
“I do take my camera with me when I hike because I never know what I will see that catches my eye — If Ihappen to see a sight I like and I do not have my camera, I will use my phone camera,” she said.
Schelden’s subject matter has included animals, landscapes and still life. Currently she is focusing on California’s Central Coast, conveying the power, wonder and beauty of the area, she said. One of her favorite spots is the 3.5-mile Johnson Ranch public hiking trail in San Luis Obispo.
“I have painted three Johnson Ranch paintings and it is one of my favorite places to hike,” Schelden said.
The painter was born in Beaumont and has had a lifelong love of nature and color. She has found expression of that love through oil painting since 1990. Ten of her oil paintings of local natural scenes, includ ing Johnson Ranch, Hollister Peak, Shell Beach and Point San Luis, are being shown at Linnaea’s Cafe through January.
This story was originally published January 25, 2015 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Shell Beach artist Jayne Schelden shows her work at Linnea’s in SLO."