Jan Prentice's artwork is deeply rooted in the representational art tradition. She studied drawing and painting at Paier College of Art, the Lyme Academy of Art, and the New York Botanical Garden where she earned a certificate in botanical illustration. 

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Upon completing her certificate in botanical illustration, Jan’s work centered on plants. However, about a decade ago during early morning walks, she began to notice birds, wading birds, in particular, along her route in Branford, CT. It didn’t take long before her interest in birds completely overtook her and a bird artist was born.

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Jan is a recent recipient of a National Park Service Artist in Residency at Big Cypress Preserve in the Florida Everglades. Her work in in the permanent art collection there.  She was awarded an artist's residency in the COM.EN.ART program specializing in natural science art at the Huyck Preserve in Rensselaerville, NY. Her artwork was included in the Focus on Nature XII Exhibition at the New York State Museum in Albany and now resides in its permanent collection.

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Her work has been shown in the internationally recognized “Birds in Art” exhibition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum,  Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History,  New York State Museum, New Britain Museum of American Art,  University of Colorado Natural History Museum, Bennington (VT) Center for the Arts, the International Marine Art Exhibition at the Mystic Seaport Museum Art Gallery, PaintAmerica Top 100, Salon International as well as many other national and regional venues. She has given public presentations on her work at the New Britain Museum of American Art and Spectrum Gallery.

 

She is an elected member of the New Haven Paint and Clay Club and the Madison Art Society. She is a member of the Lyme Art Association.  She volunteers as an osprey monitor for Osprey Nation, a project run by the Connecticut Audubon Society.

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From her life before art, Jan holds a BA in Economics and an MBA in Finance. 

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Through the  Natural Science Illustration program Jan helps students become acquainted with both the complexity and simplicity of  rendering subjects drawn from nature. She especially enjoys working with beginners.  She encourages her students to hone their art skills while respecting each individual student's unique requirements.

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