Jane Whiting Chrzanoska was born in Germantown, Philadelphia in 1948. She began drawing and painting at such an early age that by 14 she felt confident enough to attempt her first mural, an 8'x12' depiction of Napoleon at Waterloo on her bedroom wall. Two years later she convinced her best friend to provide her own bedroom wall so that Jane could paint 'The Ride of the Valkyries' from Wagner's Ring Cycle.
At age 16 she was accepted into the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia to begin studies the following year. She also made her first important sale, a study of 50 orchestral musicians, to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. She then undertook another impressive project, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Jane credits her father, the late William A. Whiting, for his constant support and encouragement in her early years and for giving her the confidence to tackle such classical subjects.
Unfortunately, after a few months at the Academy, the emphasis on abstract expressionism proved boring and Jane began skipping classes and spending more time at the University of Pennsylvania city campus. She convinced Dr. George Bass, head of the Archaeology department, to let her practice drawing various artifacts in the collection. This new interest in archaeology would significantly impact her later work.
In 1969 she moved to Ithaca, N.Y. and then to Woodstock. She lived in a cabin with no running water and no electricity but was afforded the opportunity to view a private and well guarded collection of the works of Fra Angelico, owned by the Archdiocese of New York.
In 1970 she moved closer to Manhattan and married her first husband, Benjamin Chrzanoski. She continued to paint for the next ten years, exhibited in the city, and amassed an impressive list of collectors, singer/actress Cher, Donald Trump, and Addams Family creator Charles Addams among the more notable.
In 1980 she was approached by Impress Graphics, a fine arts publisher. Her work was sold worldwide and afforded her the opportunity to travel.
In 1983 she moved to Paris. She exhibited exclusively at the Pierre Hautot galleries on the rue du Bac and a large piece was sold to a collector at the Watergate Towers in Washington D.C. She traveled extensively throughout Europe and met several Peruvians who suggested she travel to Peru and study the Inca culture.
In 1986 she returned to Peru with Dr Jorge Smith Maguina and in January 1987 they welcomed the birth of their son, Gabriel Dante. Jane continued to paint and exhibit, most notably at the American Embassy in Lima and for the the Banco Credito del Peru. She designed the covers for various books, including 'El Trueque en el Siglo XXI'(barter in the 21st century) by Julio de la Pinella, and the collected poems of Sr. Enrique Tord; 'Patria Interior'.
In November 1988 Jane gave birth to her daughter Marina Sahara and five months later returned to the United States when terrorist activities moved too close to her home in Lima.
After 20 years as owner/operator of the Mill Street Art Center in Mays Landing, NJ, Jane has relocated to Hammonton NJ where she teaches and works in her new studio. She is now, for the first time, using the internet to introduce her paintings to the world.
She is a member of National Artists Equity Association, an organization which seeks to protect artists from unscrupulous business practices by art dealers and galleries.
Jane Whiting Chrzanoska joined Pixels.com Licensing on September 1st, 2010.
