Feb. 19, 2005 – Golfers come in all shapes, sizes and handicaps, but the latest enthusiast to be seen out on the fairway perfecting his swing is green! One of the series of humorous Toadage! images created by internationally recognized painter Jan Clizer, “Concentration” depicts a seriously dedicated bullfrog, dressed in his comfortable Scottish tweed honoring the founders of the game, and focusing intently on the impending shot before him.
In addition to drawing a laugh from viewers, this golfing frog, along with the others in the Toadage! series, has a purpose. Forty percent of all income generated from poster and print sales will be given to emergency medical charities of the artist’s choice, in the country from which the income was received. Several factors influence this painter’s choice to step up her efforts to “make a difference:”
1) Jan and her family are intimately acquainted with the devastating effects of emergency medical needs, on all levels, due to a child’s need for multiple neurosurgeries eight years ago.
2) A year-long stay in a tiny rural village in Scotland has brought new perspective to “giving,” in Jan’s view – “the way residents ‘look after’ each other, in their own individual ways: They may not agree on things may not even like each other, but the basic respect for each other’s humanity, and the lengths they will go to, to help in times of need, is humbling.”
3) “No matter where we are, or who we are, there are people in need,” observes Jan. Even if our governments could handle the load, countless situations would still slip through the cracks. It’s up to us as individuals to each do what we feel we can to care for our ‘fellow travelers’ on the planet, and the planet – you just never know when that person facing impossible odds in life might turn out to be you.
Begun as a joke with a musical frog painting several years ago, the colorful images are an ongoing series of frogs, happily getting the best out of things that people enjoy. Toadage! has steadily grown in popularity with viewers of all ages, both in the US and internationally, and in doing so, fulfills this artist’s goal for her work: “Lifting the viewer out of everyday life and cares, if only for a few moments, through my interpretation of the subject at hand is my work’s focus. We as humans have the gift of choice at any given moment as to how we view ourselves, our surroundings, and everything within reach of our awareness. Very often our choices point our focus in a direction negating life experience, rather than enhancing it. I work to encourage a lighter, more soulful way of “viewing” our situation on the planet.”
“Art and music have no boundaries,” Jan points out, who has painted professionally since 1980. Her focus extends beyond the Toadage! series to a rich variety of subjects and mediums, oil and pastel being her favorites. She currently lives and paints in both NE Scotland and northern Idaho.
“Concentration” is available as a full-color 18x24 poster ($10) and mini-prints in two sizes. This and other lighthearted images in the Toadage! series can be viewed online at http://www.toadage.com, or ordered directly by calling (US) 1-208-640-6368.
