Working mainly in acrylics, Segrest makes a bold statement with her art through the use of bright, vivid colors spread across a large canvas.

“I love to use every color,” Segrest said. “Whenever I start a painting, I never know how many colors are going to end up over that painting. I start with a basic idea, but then I keep adding colors to it.”

A Segrest painting stands out in the crowd.

“Most people when they see my work they know it’s mine, because of the size and also because of the boldness of the color.”

Segrest paints on canvases up to seven feet wide. It is her love of size that got her into painting acrylics.

How it all began
Although art appreciation had always been a part of Segrest’s life growing up in Hartford, Ala., it was not until college that she experienced art firsthand.

Segrest went to the University of Montevallo to study home economics. She was quite passionate about sewing and decided to take some art classes to explore her artistic and creative side.

After developing a foundation in element and design, Segrest trained in painting with oils. She fell in love with painting and decided that is what she wanted to do with her life.

“I used to think that the essence of turpentine was my favorite fragrance.”

Segrest put art aside for a few years when she moved to Panama City to raise her two sons.

After the boys started school, Segrest had extra time on her hands. She decided to pick up where she left off. To her surprise, Panama City did not have a lot to offer in the way of oil painting classes. All the classes and workshops in the area were teaching watercolor.

She decided to branch out and try watercolors.

“I found out that I could paint in watercolor just the same way I was painting in oils.”

Wanting to learn more and experiment with different techniques, Segrest began to reach out to other mediums. She wanted to paint big and watercolor just did not offer her that option. She turned to acrylics.

“Acrylics are just so easy and there is less mess. They dry and you can work into them and paint over them.”

Acrylics may be her focus right now, but Segrest continues to explore innovations in her art.

“My work is constantly evolving. I try to change what I’m doing regularly,” she explained. “I feel like if I am still doing the same thing as I was doing last year then I haven’t grown.”

Bonifay is where she paints
Segrest moved to Bonifay about 15 years ago.

Although Bonifay is not Florida’s most happening town, Segrest likes it for the convenience. She can easily hop onto Interstate 10 to visit friends and family in Dothan and Panama City. She also has plenty of time to paint.

“Bonifay is a nice town to be in. It is quiet and I have lots of time to paint here,” she explained. “It is in a central location.”

Painting is a high priority. Segrest makes it a point to paint weekly.

“I could paint all the time. I never seem to be at a loss for something to paint,” she said. “Everything I look at becomes a painting. I could walk from the yard and look at the flowers and I want to paint flowers.”

Segrest does not even need a specific object to inspire her art.

“My real love right now is abstract, and I just adore it,” she said. “I just love to look at that blank piece of canvas and get out my colors and try to create something from it.”

Where to find Jane Segrest
Segrest has a rich art biography. She has been featured in several shows and exhibits throughout Alabama and Florida, including the Montgomery Art Guild Museum Exhibition at the Montgomery Museum of Art in 2007 and the Abstract Expressionism Show at the Winegrass Museum of Art in Dothan in 2006. Her work appears in the Panama City International Airport, Gulf Coast Community Hospital, The Gallery of Art, Arriaga Originals, Café Thirty-A and the Picture Frame Outlet.

Articles about Segrest appeared in popular publications, such as “Wiregrass Living Magazine,” “Southern Lady,” “Art Galleries & Artist of the South” and “Bay Arts and Entertainment.”

Segrest paintings range in price from $900 to $4,000 depending on size. Learn more about Jane Segrest at http://janesegrest.com.