Jane Seymour shows her creative side at The Butler

The actress will have more than 40 paintings on display.
By NANCILYNN GATTA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
"In the same way that some people need to play music, I need to paint. I need to create," said Jane Seymour when discussing her passion for visual art.
Known to most Americans as Michaela Quinn in the popular television series, "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman," she displays another talent when The Butler Institute of American Art exhibits more than 40 of her paintings in watercolor, oil and pastel.
Though she was always visually creative, Seymour didn't take her artwork seriously until she used it as a healing process to get through a difficult time in her life.
"I've always drawn and painted since I was a little kid. For 13 years, I've been doing most of my main painting. I started to take some lessons in watercolor, and that's when I really got immersed in doing fine art," said Seymour.
Her subject matter revolves around her life and her interests, such as floral gardening, equestrian-related pieces, ballerinas and family.
Expressing her creativity
During her "creative days," she paints for hours on end, at either her studio in her Malibu home or at Catherine Court, her 14th-century home in Bath, England. Recently, she returned from a 2 1/2-week holiday in England with six completed canvases and four sculptures.
"I paint as many hours in the day as I possibly can, or I'm jotting down ideas or dreaming things up. It's really become the main focus of my day. I see things visually all the time whether I'm traveling or gardening, setting the table, seeing the expressions on my kids' faces, I can't stop," she said.
Seymour also creates fine art outside of her studio. She just needs a sketchbook and brushes or pens.
"I've sketched and painted on planes. I've actually painted in turbulence in watercolor. Very interesting, the things that came out of those," said Seymour.
She has studied the work of such masters as Monet, Winslow Homer, and Degas.
"I don't go and look at an art piece and say, 'I have to paint that way.' Depending on what the project is I'm doing, I will look at an artist that did that type of subject matter well and see if there is something I can learn from it," she said.
Location matters
Though her work is influenced by these artists, she also draws from the color palette of her locale.
"I love color. I'm always playing with different combinations. If I'm in the sunshine here in California, it tends to be more vibrant. If I'm in England looking at the grassy hillsides, the old stone houses, I'm influenced by that," said Seymour.
Her images convey a mood or an emotion that she wants the viewer to perceive.
"I want the person who sees the painting to see themselves or their child or someone they know in it. I think there's something wonderful about painting people from the side and from behind them, anyone that's the viewer can put themselves into that image. What I'm trying to do is to bring people into that moment," she said.
Much of her work begins from a photograph. She then re-creates it on canvas. Occasionally, she uses live models, including her family members.
"I have a beautiful painting of John [one of her twin sons by husband/actor James Keach], last year with a black cowboy hat on. We were at a dude ranch. It became an homage to Johnny Cash. My son is his godson. He was wearing the black hat and the black T-shirt like Johnny Cash. He was named after Johnny Cash," recalled Seymour.
Proceeds
Seymour often donates her artwork to raise funds for charitable causes. She continues her philanthropic ways at The Butler. Select pieces may be purchased with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the museum's art preservation endeavors.
Seymour is excited about her exhibit at The Butler, and she hopes that her visit will bring more national attention to the museum.
"It's a great validation of my work. I hear that it's a wonderful museum and I can't wait to see the collection there."