River City Art Association’s June Artist of the Month is Jan McVay of Tangier, Indiana. A sampling of her many talents will be on display through June 30 in the Vigo County Public Library at Terre Haute, Indiana.

Jan is a resident of Parke County, Indiana. She went to college in Ohio majoring in art and education, taking the opportunity her junior year to study in Switzerland.

For 24 years Jan taught art and photography at Southmont High School near Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Several years ago she took a watercolor class in Provence, France.

As an active long-standing member of the Covered Bridge Art Association in Rockville, Indiana, Jan’s main medium is watercolor. In addition, Jan is a photographer and dabbles in a variety of other art forms.

In August 2021, Jan’s work received Best of Show and a 1st Place in RCAA’s 13th Annual Juried Exhibition in Terre Haute, IN. More recent, Jan’s “Sub-Marine” mixed media piece received a Second Place in the 2022 Abstract April show in the Covered Bridge Art Gallery.

Other “water-themed” works in Jan’s exhibit at the VCPL will complement the library’s summer reading program, Oceans of Possibilities.

“Growing up in Miami, I spent a lot of time around the water.  Also I like solitude which is difficult to get in Miami.  Maybe that is why I moved to rural Indiana.  My art work has a variety of styles and techniques.”

Beach Medley: Many different elements are used here over a simple watercolor painting.  Shells are embossed in the sand.  A variety of debris from the beach, and a gull feather round out this piece.This is how I envision Sanibel Island in 1960 when I camped under the Australian pines.

Beach Hut: Depicting a hot quiet midday, this watercolor speaks to my condition.

Pelicans at Black Point: This is a color photograph even though it looks black and white.  Pelicans are my favorite bird. These guys were sitting on the end of the empty boat slips. I love the silhouette effect against the bright water.  Black Point is a favorite location for me south of Miami along the bay.

Coconut Grove Boardwalk: The straight geometric lines in this scene are what attracted me. Acrylic paint is my choice for such straight-edge work. I changed the dimensions of the boardwalk to suit my composition and was most surprised the next time I was on locations to see how short it really is.

Moon Over Miami: This is all collage, no painting.  It employs very limited color, contrast of values and a lot of texture.

Wet Sand: A young girl plays in the sand.  I think that is me.