An Espresso with Jan Crombie: Painter on Characters, Empathy and Colour
Published: April 12, 2025 | An interview by Romina Provenzi | 5 min read
Jan Crombie portait in her studio
Jan Crombie is a contemporary British painter and ceramist whose work explores themes of character, mythology, and belonging. A Goldsmiths College graduate, Crombie's practice draws from diverse sources like Greek mythology, Grimm's fairytales, and her own family history to create intimate, dialogue-rich compositions populated by non-human characters. Her paintings reflect a lifetime of observation and empathy. In this conversation, Jan discusses her artistic process, the evolution of her practice, and the personal experiences that shape her distinctive vision. Jan studied in London, lived in Oxford and is now based in Suffolk.
On redefining success
What is success for you as an artist?
Art is so important to me that I cannot live without it. We are inseparable. Due to circumstances, I didn't follow up on offers after I graduated from Goldsmiths in London. I am a woman who undertook caring responsibilities, and I don't wish it were any different. Distractions in life make it difficult for women to focus entirely on their work, and art can be so obsessive that focus and time matter enormously. I consider it crucial to be empathetic and caring, considerate of myself and others, and generous with what I can be generous with. Success as an artist is about the idea of change, which is fundamental to my practice, as art enables me to change, adapt, see, observe, and be curious. My work has evolved and changed in the last few years. Although I wasn't keen on any gallery representation that could restrict the intimacy and unpredictability of my work, this sentiment has changed. I am ready to explore ways to get my work seen by a larger audience.
On character development and creative process
How do you develop characters in your paintings?
It’s a fundamental question for my practice. I can trace themes back to when I was very young. They have been developing ever since. Some people influenced my work, like my godmother Lottie, who I used to sit next to when she made her stories, and my father, who was a sculptor and died when I was very young. As a child, my father’s sculptures inhabited my world. As a family growing up, we were a collection of powerful women, and those role models and their struggles as women and artists have been a source of continual interest for my characters. As my process is very intuitive, I spend time drawing and observing people and consequently develop non-human characters inspired by early Greek mythology, Grimm’s fairytales, myths and legends, a family member or anyone else I have observed. They all merge. I will spend time just drawing before going to the canvas to empty my mind, paint from my elbow and let it do what it wants. Characters will start to emerge, but their relationship matters to me more than the characters themselves as I fill the space with dialogue among them. In my practice, I am experienced in working in 3D as I do sculpture on separate projects, and it influences my painting practice because the characters exist to me as real objects. I can articulate them as real people in my paintings.
On empathy, belonging, and personal history
Is anxiety a theme in your work?
I had many difficulties in my early life. Anxieties have always been there, and I have observed them within difficult moments and struggles. For instance, my family wasn’t British, and we found it very difficult to be accepted by mainstream society and to be without our family. My mother had a lot of troubles, so I lived with her anxieties too, which made me empathetic to people who struggle because they came from other places, like refugees, asylum seekers, people who don’t fit into the norms of British society, and those who generally don’t belong. My family didn’t fit in any particular group because they were all artists. There was a sort of ‘otherness’ about my heritage, which made me feel like the odd one out in my childhood, as a prevalent state of mind. Empathy comes with struggles. But the art and the expressiveness and the beginnings of what I am doing now, I can trace it all back to my childhood and the influence of my relatives and people around me.
Reflections on This Conversation
Three insights from Jan Crombie's practice stand out: First, her understanding that success isn't about recognition but about change and evolution—the ability to adapt, observe, and remain curious. Second, her deeply intuitive process reveals how character relationships matter more than the characters themselves, creating dialogue-rich compositions that feel alive. Finally, her empathy stems directly from personal struggle—from feeling like an outsider, from observing her mother's anxieties, from belonging to a family of artists who never quite fit in. This empathy isn't abstract; it's the foundation of everything she creates.
Giant, 2024,
Oil on Canvas, 100 x 90 cm
Sisters, 2024,
Oil on Canvas, 121 x100 cm
If you enjoyed this conversation, you might also like my interviews with other female artists:
American artist Teresita Fernandez on Elephant magazine
British artist Emma Talbot on Wallpaper magazine
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