Janice Sylvia Brock

Janice Sylvia Brock’s work has been likened to that of Matisse.  Like him, she will approach a new canvas without the aid of sketches, photographs or preliminary outlines.  From the first touch of colour laid onto the virgin canvas her brush strokes are utterly confident, and this is evident in the result: works which resonate with life, sensuality and humour.  Even her portraits imbue their subjects with a living quality that no camera could ever capture.

Her work hangs in private collections in the Caribbean, Canada, Europe, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the USA, notably the White House.  A recent private showing of her work in the UK was attended by HRH the Price of Wales.  Within the last 6 years, in the UK alone, no less than 37 of her works have been purchased by collectors listed in the Sunday Times 2006 list of richest people in the UK and Ireland.  In January 2008 one of her paintings was auctioned for US$200,000 by the Variety Club of Barbados.

Janice was born in Manchester, and now has studios in Barbados and in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, UK.  Her painting career started as therapy in hospital where she spent most of her adolescence, suffering from a severe form of arthritis which has become her constant companion.  After kidney failure she as given only five years to live – 25 years ago!  Her illness prevented her taking up an offer of a place at Manchester College of Art, although she has since coached both undergraduates and professional artists in techniques of working in oils, her favourite medium, as well as graphite, watercolour and pastel.  She has tutored guests in painting at Sandy Lane Hotel, Barbados, though she has also held art therapy classes in prisons, psychiatric hospitals and nursing homes, empathizing with those for whom survival is a constant struggle.

She continues to work tirelessly to improve the quality of life of disabled people both in Barbados and the UK.  Over the last three years, she has donated five of her paintings to charities for auction, raising a total of US$190,000.
In Barbados Janice formed “The Artists’ Clubhouse”, a meeting point for artists.  In the UK she is a member of London’s prestigious Chelsea Arts Club, and an Honorary Fellow of the North West Academy of Arts.  Her book “Impressions of the Caribbean” was launched internationally in January 2003, and is now almost completely sold out.  She is in great demand as a public speaker for her remarkable charisma and her ability to inspire others who face major challenges, and was the subject of a television documentary screened in 2007 in the UK.