In 1998, Vaughn Wykes took his wife aside to discuss what would be the start of a great adventure – to move to Qatar in the Middle East to live and work. Nervous yet excited, Janice agreed; over the next few months the house was a flurry of activity as they prepared their three children for the long journey and sorted everything in their native New Zealand to jet-set across the world and begin their new life.
With Vaughn earning more than enough to live on with his new job, and the three kids at school, Janice finally had the leisure to pursue her artistic passions. “Opportunity was the greatest motivating factor to becoming an artist. My husband was offered a position working in the Middle East and we took the very brave step of moving there with our three children. I was very fortunate that I had the opportunity while we were there to be able to follow my passion and devote much of my time to painting in those early years of my career. I always found oil paintings fascinating.
“A very dear Aunty, who happened to paint, suggested that I give it a go myself and so I did. I was lucky enough to devote myself to learning and experimenting with pencils and oils full time after the move. In those early years I always loved the old romantic masters such as Rembrandt; his play of rich, dark shadows and warm, glowing highlights has always captured my attention. As I developed through the years, my use of colour has become stronger and I use a lot of contrast, shadows and light – although I will admit the first 10 years were hard and sometimes very frustrating as I tried to capture what I wanted to portray.
Janice Clifton Wykes
