The Artists of Sixth Street Gallery
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name: Jan Harris media: mixed media & Jewelry more: www.purplebirdart.com email: email Jan Since childhood my love of art, story-telling and nature have been intertwined. I enjoy using glass, metal, fiber and organic material to bring the natural and spiritual world alive in my art. Each piece of work becomes a storyteller, weaving a tapestry of form and symbolism to convey a story in texture, color and imagination. I use a combination of wire and fibers and weave color and texture into solid structures of metal and gourd to create sculpture and baskets.
	I also construct unique woven bracelets, each crafted with beads and charms gathered in my travels and created to communicate a story of the wearer’s choosing. Like a crow, I am drawn to color and all things that gleam and my current work focuses on my attempts to integrate a variety of these materials to create a finished piece of work that communicates itself as a whole. It is the voice I use to speak to the world. Read Jan's Bio

Born to a military family, Jan Harris spent her childhood in transition, moving from state to state, until settling in the West. As an adult, she has continued to lead a nomadic life, combining her love of travel and the natural world in her art. Jan currently resides in Vancouver, Washington with her dog and two cats.

Since childhood, art has always been an important part of Jan’s life. She has pursued her art education at various universities in Montana, California, Idaho and Washington, as well as participating in numerous workshops, including those taught by Keith Lo Bu, Susan Lenart Kazmer and Thomas Mann.

Initially focusing in two dimensional arts, watercolor and collage, Jan began to experiment with three dimensional art and fell in love with the shine and sparkle of metal juxtaposed with the glitter of glass and the mellowness of natural materials such as gourds. Her current work reflects the synergy that results from the combination of these eclectic materials.

Jan has been instructing art classes for the past 10 years in Idaho, Oregon and Washington and her work has been featured in galleries and shows in several Westerns states. Several of her pieces have been featured in publications, including Somerset Studio and Belle Armoire. Jan is a member of the Mosaic Art Alliance and Portland Art Collective. Her art can be viewed on her website at www.purplebirdart.com as well as her blog, http://purplebirdart.blogspot.com.

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