Jana completed a degree in Fine Arts at the University of Pretoria (South Africa) in 2008. She worked as a full-time artist and enjoyed giving art classes in her studio until she relocated to New Zealand, with her husband and two boys, in 2016.

In her previous work she explored the possibility of 'weaving' with paint as a metaphor for flesh with reference to the Book of Psalms. Her interest in the flesh; as a physical manifestation of humanity; universally bound by time and always in a state of change, has continued to influence her work.

Her recent experience of being submerged in an entirely new environment and subsequently meeting hundreds of new people in a very short period of time has prompted a new direction in her work. 

She has become acutely aware that 'the flesh' is much like 'the character' in that it is in a constant state of change and development. Our human experiences and interactions are so complex and layered; often guarded and often staged; frustrating and restricting our ability to know each other.

Currently, she is exploring the notion of ‘Being Known’ through a series of portraits. She is drawn to the tension of creating an impression of something or someone, whilst celebrating the mediums used as the ‘fabric’ of the impression - the paint, the brush and the canvas.