Face in the Crowd: Jane Font
Jane Font, artist and owner of Pandemonium Art Gallery is shown here Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, at her gallery in Ogden. The eclectic and offbeat gallery located on Historic 25th Street is celebrating its third year in business.
Jane Font, artist and owner of Pandemonium Art Gallery is shown here Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, at her gallery in Ogden.
Jane Font, artist and owner of Pandemonium Art Gallery stands in front of several pieces of her art Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, on display at her gallery in Ogden. The eclectic and offbeat gallery located on Historic 25th Street is celebrating its third year in business.
Face in the Crowd allows us a peek into the lives and personalities of our friends and neighbors along the Wasatch. Do you know of someone who should be featured? Send name and contact information, and why that person should be spotlighted, to vzimmer@standard.net or call 801-625-4270.
Where I live: I live in this awesome city we call Ogden.
What I do/occupation: I own Pandemonium Art Gallery on Historic 25th Street. I’m also an artist, and I have an instructional YouTube channel called “Painting with Jane,” where I teach acrylic painting methods to budding artists all over the world. Art and teaching are my passions, and I’m lucky enough to be able to make a living doing both.
One thing people don’t know about me: I have no formal training in art, and in fact, I have an accounting degree. After opening the gallery and being surrounded by amazing local art every day, I decided to try my hand at it. In just a couple I’ve taught myself how to paint!
Two foods always in my fridge or pantry: Bacon and Tabasco!
What I do for fun: Work! I don’t actually get a lot of time outside of work, between Pandemonium and my YouTube channel, but thankfully my work is what I love to do for fun anyway. When I do get a little bit of time away from work, I cuddle with my dogs, have dance parties in the living room with my husband, Vince, and binge-watch Netflix.
The one movie or TV show I would recommend to friends (and why): My favorite movie, and the one I recommend to everyone is “Harold and Maude.” Not only is it a quirky and beautiful love story, but it reminds us to live our lives to the fullest and to treat every day like a gift.
The last book I read and what I thought of it: Unfortunately, I don’t get the time to read that I used to. I recently read “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” and really liked the concepts. I’m now on to some darker fare with “Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe,” by Thomas Ligotti, which I picked up from my friend Marcy at Booked on 25th. It’s pretty dark and mysterious, and kind of reminds me of a modern-day H.P. Lovecraft.
My favorite musician and/or album (and why): This is a hard one because I have such diverse tastes in music. Currently, though, I’d have to say Emancipator. Their music is so moody and dreamy, and really helps call up images that I would love to paint.
My pet peeve: My biggest pet peeve is when people diminish another artist’s work or medium of choice. If someone has a passion to create something, whether it’s technically well done or not, I believe it’s valid as art. I also believe all mediums are valid. Acrylic paint, photography, Photoshop, and crayons are valid tools for an artist to use. It’s what the artist does with those tools using their own vision that makes art. Art is about communication and expression, and it should challenge others to view the world through different lenses.
My greatest accomplishment: I believe my greatest accomplishment has been opening a strange art gallery in a community that wasn’t very familiar with strange art, and helping give those artists a voice and place in the art community in Ogden.