It's A Wonderful World

The series of drawings and paintings titled, “It's a Wonderful World” began over a decade ago.  By starting with a need to break free from routine methods that had become too comfortable, I began to seek my inner landscape. While following my heart with small gestural drawings, I found a way to reach an unforeseen language that had been speaking to me since early childhood.  I began listening and watching with an open heart to birds and bugs, stars and sages, trees and breezes, the sky and the sea. By quietly acknowledging the awe of this world, as if by magic, the unknown appears and the composition develops in its own season of time. Animals move in and out, caterpillars, bees, birds and many sorts of creatures of unknown origins appear dancing, sleeping, and seducing their mates and enjoying the environment within which they live. 

For me, art is about life and the processing of experiences and interconnectedness with others and our environment. Henry Moore said, “Being an artist is celebrating life. The observation of nature is part of an artist’s life, keeps one fresh and from working only by formula, and feeds inspiration.” I am constantly drawing inspiration from my daily interactions with the people and animals in my life as well as my natural surroundings. My passion is fueled by my love for animals, gardening, family and friends. Creating art is an endlessly fascinating and continually developing process of discovery, intuition, and improvisation. Throughout all my work, I seek visual expressions of my daily experiences.

Jan Clayton Pagratis is a visual artist working in a variety of media including painting, drawing, encaustic and fibers. She is an alumna of The George Washington University, where she received her MFA in painting and the University of Maryland where she received her BA.  She is a native of Miami Florida and is based in Savannah Georgia. She began her professional artistic career teaching at The Art League School in Alexandria, Virginia. She has exhibited her work across the U.S., including Washington D.C. and the National Arts Club in New York city. Her work was selected by Ambassador Charles Reis to exhibit in Athens Greece as part of the “Arts in the Embassies Program” with the U.S Department of State. Her work can be found in multiple private collections including The George Washington University, The College of Southern Maryland, Palmetto Bluff Plantation, SC, and Efacec Power Transformers Inc.