Earlier in February this year, a painting by Jane Van Every was donated to Homer Watson House & Gallery. Born Jane Bechtel, she was a niece of the Watson family and greatly inspired by her Uncle Homer’s and Aunt Phoebe’s artwork.
When the Doon School of Fine Arts opened in 1948, Jane took classes there. According to her sister, Ruth Whiting, she “loved to paint” and her faith in her art could not be shaken once she knew what she wanted to make.
Beyond the visual arts, Jane also took up writing – and many of her works were directly inspired by her family. She published a short story about her Uncle Homer’s childhood called The Boy Who Wanted to Paint a Breeze, and a collection of memories about her time spent at the Watson House titled With Faith, Ignorance, and Delight. Her recorded recollections have proved an important source of information when researching the personal lives of Homer, Phoebe, Roxa, and many others.
Jane Van Every is one of the many Watson relatives to carry on a familial tradition of visual arts, and this painting of hers is a great new addition to the Gallery’s collection. If you want to read more about her and her connections to the artistic legacy of the Watsons, With Faith Ignorance, and Delight is available at the Gallery’s gift shop.
