Jane Parker

Jane Parker, “Drifting”, Gouache, Beads, Sequins, 2014

Jane Parker paints in Noosa, a beach town in Australia. Her colourful paintings resemble Aborigional artworks, painted in gouache but embellished with beads, sequins and gold.

“I find that I will dream of a finished picture and then sit down to execute it without preliminary drawings,” said Jane. “This picture was triggered by something I read, about the jellyfish drifting in the ocean at the mercy of storms and all obstacles. It seemed to me that the human condition is very like this.”

Zdenka Braunerová

Zdenka Braunerová, “Study of a Baker”, Late 1800s, Gouache on Paper, 29 x 33.5 cm

Zdislava Rosalina Augusta Braunerová, called Zdenka, was a Czech landscape painter, illustrator and graphic artist. She was born in Prague on April 9th of 1858 into a wealthy family. Her father was František August Brauner, a member of the Imperial Council.

Braunerová developed her interest in art from her mother, Augusta, who was an amateur painter. As her talents became apparent, she began taking lessons from Amalie Mánesová. Later, she studied with Soběslav Pinkas. In 1896, she became the first female member of the Mánes Union of Fine Arts, but was apparently expelled in 1906. Zdenka Braunerová died in Prague on May 23, 1934.