Jane Hewlett's work concentrates on capturing the atmosphere of the coastal landscape. In may ways it is a romantic voyage back through several generations; the local fishing boats which she portrays built with the traditional fishing equipment lying lazily on and around the colourful hulls. Often the boats are deserted, perhaps hinting at the decline in the local fishing industry. However, there is nothing pessimistic about her work; rather it is a reflection and celebration of the clarity of light and colour which has attracted so many artists to the East Anglian coast over the years. Most of Jane Hewlett's paintings are in oil, very often on a gesso ground. The technique which she uses harks back to that used by Nash, Nevinson, Cadell, Wadsworth and Millier in the early and mid-twentieth century. It is based on allowing the gesso ground to absorb the oil in the paint; once this has happened, the canvas or board is left with dry, sandy pigment on its surface which enables the artist to achieve a purity of colour and chalky consistency ideally suited to the depletion of the coastal landscape. Jane Hewlett started showing her work publicly in 1998, and it can now be found in private collections in Britain and the USA. She is represented by Ainscough Contemporary Art. Jane Hewlett took a foundation course at Ipswich College of Art in 1995 and graduated from the University of East Anglia with an Art and Design degree in 1998. From her childhood days when summer holidays were spent by the sea at Aldeburgh, the Suffolk coast has held a special fascination for her. Since 1989, she has lived in Suffolk with a studio overlooking the tidal waters of the River Deben just outside Woodbridge.

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