Mike and Jan EclectArt Studios

Email:  [email protected]
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/eclectartstudios/
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​Although individual artists their entire life Mike and Jan Sherwood have been co creating for the last 11 years - often painting on the same piece.

Hello! Mike here! 
I believe firmly passion has purpose when it serves others.

My passion for art began at a very young age and I graduated from the State University of New York in 1979 with a degree in graphic arts.  

My love for cooking led me to own and operate three small restaurants.  

My gift of gab resulted in becoming a successful auctioneer which I maintain on a fundraising and nonprofit capacity.

My sometimes annoying sense of making things right resulted in becoming a local politician for two terms as a city councilman for Alabaster AL.  

However, my most cherished of all endeavors has been my desire and ability to express and create art especially now that it is shared in collaboration with my wife, Jan. Together our works have been applauded by men, women and children of all ages.  

​Whether it’s the concept of our combined efforts or the esthetics of the final project we are grateful and blessed with popularity and success. 

Hi ! Jan here!
I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, specifically in the Berkeley hills. I developed a passion for the arts as a child. I was always crafting and designing, However, I was mostly a performer. In my childhood scrapbook, my “what I want to be when I grew up” section included dancer, actress, artist, teacher, photographer, and zoologist. I am all those things! Well, I never became a zoologist.
 
I started my early theater and dance training in the Bay Area and began my journey teaching dance and choreography. In the 1980s, I temporarily relocated to Alabama, lol. I discovered an amazing dance program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and immediately auditioned and enrolled as a ballet major with an art minor.
 
Since then, I’ve continued this wonderful creative adventure as a professional dancer, choreographer, dance teacher, studio owner, dance adjudicator, actress, artist, and writer. As an artist, I was (and still am) influenced by artists such as Peter Max, Salvador Dali, and M.C. Escher,( We had his coffee table book), additionally had an infinity for movies such as Yellow Submarine and album cover art, particularly from the 1960s and 70s. Nature, animals, and my overly active imagination are my biggest inspirations. Sprinkle in a big dose of mindfulness and fantasy, add lots of color, and wahla!
 
My medium began with simple pencil sketches, then charcoal, pen and ink, colored pencils, and markers made their appearance. I’ve played with various types of paints, but I began painting with acrylics on wood 11 years ago and have run with it ever since.
 
After 42 years, kids and grandkids, and three Border Collies later, my move to Alabama turned out to be temporary after all. We just built a beautiful cabin in the woods in Cloudland, GA. It’s the perfect spot to keep creating.