During the mid- to late- 1980's, Jan specialized in painting wildlife, particularly birds and small mammals. She usually used gouache (a water-soluble and often opaque medium) for realistic and very detailed paintings. Her first contest entry ranked as a finalist in the 1984 National Duck Stamp Contest. She began showing at the Mid-Atlantic Wildfowl Festival in Virginia Beach, Virginia and soon received invitations to shows up and down the East Coast.
At these exhibits, Jan was awarded over fifteen ribbons and honors for her paintings. Because of the time-consuming detail in her early work, she eventually limited exhibiting her work to invitation-only shows and a few art galleries. A highlight of her wildlife-painting period was an invitation to the prestigious Gold Room at the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland. Jan enjoyed showing her work from Maine to North Carolina and exhibited originals and prints in galleries in several East Coast cities. The Village Gallery in Virginia Beach sponsored her one-woman show and handled her originals in the Tidewater, Virginia area. Also her paintings have been displayed in the following museums:
Ward Museum in Salisbury, MD
Marine Science Museum in Virginia Beach, VA
San Bernardino County Museum in California
Ironically, Jan's search for beauty and truth led her in a direction that temporarily left little time for creating art. Returning to college in 1990 to study physics, math, and English kept the artist from producing much artwork for several years, yet enabled her to become comfortable with computers and technology.
The year 2000 marked another turning point for Jan as she returned to her art full time. Today, she has branched into metal work (copper and steel) yet still loves to paint with oils, acrylics and watercolors. Favorite subjects include views of world culture, meditations on objects in our lives, and contemplations of nature. Her background in computers facilitates website design and the use of art programs to design art before the actual, physical production begins. Jan now lives in Suffolk, VA where she also has her studio and workshop.
Jan Southard's many interests are reflected in her paintings and metal sculptures; all are her original designs. Several wildlife paintings are available in prints and may be found in the Print Gallery.