Students attending this week’s Reach Higher lunchtime talk enjoyed a fascinating insight into the work of local artist Jane Williams, whose expressive drawings and paintings are inspired not so much by what she sees, but by the music she listens to in live performance.
Jane began the talk by reflecting on her own experiences of art education, explaining that although her opportunities at school had been limited, she continued to nurture her creativity. A period spent in Florida sparked her interest in large-scale, expressive watercolour painting and gave her the confidence to embrace colour and work more freely, despite being encouraged towards a more detailed and realistic style.
Throughout the talk, Jane explored the close relationship between music and visual art, explaining how attending concerts has become the starting point for much of her work. Rather than simply illustrating musicians or instruments, she seeks to capture the emotions, rhythms and atmosphere of a performance, translating sound into colour, movement and mark-making.
Students heard how careful observation lies at the heart of her practice. Jane spoke about “training the eye and hand to work together”, while encouraging students to slow down, look carefully and trust the process. She also reflected on the importance of perseverance, explaining that being encouraged to continue producing familiar work only strengthened her determination to keep experimenting and evolving.
One of the most engaging parts of the session focused on a body of work inspired by rehearsals. Jane described noticing how rehearsals felt very different from polished performances: fragmented, interrupted and constantly changing. She found beauty in those unfinished moments, inspiring a series of paintings that use torn paper and collage to echo the fragmented nature of rehearsal.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the talk came when Jane explained how she thinks about music in visual terms. Just as different movements within a piece of music each have their own character while belonging to the same composition, she aims for each section of a painting to have its own identity while contributing to a balanced and harmonious whole.
Jane’s visit was a wonderful reminder that inspiration can come from unexpected places, and that artists often translate experiences from one creative discipline into another. By inviting students to experiment with transforming three different pieces of music into expressive visual language, she encouraged them to think beyond what they see and explore how art can communicate feeling, memory and atmosphere.
Alongside sharing her work, Jane also offered thoughtful advice to young artists. Sometimes, she explained, when a painting isn’t working, the best solution is simply to put it aside for a while and return to it later with “fresh eyes”. Creativity is rarely a straight line, and giving yourself time and space can often reveal solutions that weren’t obvious before.
We are extremely grateful to Jane for sharing her work, her experiences, and her thoughtful reflections with our students. Her talk beautifully embodied the aims of the Reach Higher programme, demonstrating that curiosity, careful observation and the confidence to follow your own creative instincts can lead to a truly distinctive artistic voice.