Artist Statement

Created specifically for the Beltline Walls mural festival, the design is part of the “Animals in Love” series (www.janaliptak.com/fornicating-animals/) and features two Great Blue Herons performing a courtship dance. Art on the Atlanta BeltLine builds connections between natural spaces and the urban environment, and I hope to contribute to this aim by bringing imagery of Georgia’s natural world to the BeltLine Walls. The herons, which are native Atlantan birds, create bonded pairs each season through this complex and beautiful dance. The design contains an organic pattern of lines and starbursts, inspired by interconnectivity in all forms. From the cellular to the galactic, everything has an inherent pattern and form. We are all bound by the structures of the universe and are all expressions of those structures, and thus we are all connected. The image is a celebration of love, intended to inspire connection, conservation, and appreciation for nature.

 

Artist Bio

Jana Liptak is an artist, muralist, and fabricator based in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from Tucson, Arizona, she received a BA in media studies from the University of Arizona in 2003, and an MFA in painting from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland in 2008. She then worked as an arts educator with the Scottish NGO ‘Room 13’, where she was visiting Artist-in-Residence at Lochyside School in Fort William, Scotland, and Artist-in-Residence at Shikshayatan School in Tamil Nadu, India. She taught workshops and organized a large tile mosaic project with students.

In 2009 Jana relocated to Brooklyn, where in addition to her fine art and public art practices, she owns a decorative surfaces fabrication company, and is a professional scenic artist for United Scenic Artists Local 829, painting for film, television, and theater.

Jana began seriously pursuing public art commissions in 2015, and has completed mural commissions for public and private clients throughout the Northeast and Scotland.

You can see Jana’s online portfolio of public art and studio practice at www.janaliptak.com, and her decorative surfaces and large scale scenic art projects at www.sepioid.com.