A feature on Jane adorns the pages of the January issue of Newcastle-based 'Living North', and like many others they were amazed by her pen creations which could easily be mistaken for paintings or pencil sketches.

Jane's connections with art started with her studying for a degree in Graphics at Hull University.

She graduated in 1990 and then began to carve out a career as a professional illustrator, working for the likes of the BBC and the Cambridge University Press, before deciding that this wasn't the avenue for her.

She decided to pursue her other artistic interests, but to earn money while she did so, she took up a number of jobs including park keeper, tube driver and office worker.

And after becoming a bit bored during her time as the latter, Jane's mind started to wander and she was soon coming up with artistic creations using a Biro and Post It notes.

She was spurred her on to pursue this talent on a more permanent basis and since 2005 she was been working professionally in Berwick, exhibiting in a number of venues including The Irving Gallery and The Maltings as part of the 2007 Berwick Film Festival.

Explaining, her interesting and less traditional start to her career, Jane said: "I loved my time as an illustrator as I love creating things, but as time went on I started to find it more and more restrictive, with certain briefs to follow and deadlines to meet.

"It was a tough decision but I decided to leave that world behind me and develop my own art work.

"This was a tough time and it took around 10 years to really develop my style.

"I became unknown again in the art world; I didn't do any exhibitions and hardly anyone saw my work.

"During that time I worked a number of jobs to keep the money coming in. One of these was in an office and I was soon distracted by drawing on Post It notes - any opportunity I got I'd be doing it.

"Needless to say, I left that job and then started a professional career as an artist."

For her first few years, Jane worked purely with black Biro, but it was after a visit to WHSmith that she broadened her pen horizons.

"Originally, I used black Biro which was tricky enough but at the end of 2008 I started bringing in red, black and green too.

"And one day I just happened to be in WHSmith when I saw this big pack of different coloured Biros. There was so many different colours, I'd never seen anything like. As much as I loved drawing in black Biro, I've always loved colour and I thought I was missing out.

"Biros can be a bit restrictive, for instance before I got my new pack I used to have to mix blue and brown to make green. In some cases I still have to mix colours to get the particular one I want, and it's not always easy."

Unlike artists using pencils, Jane doesn't have the luxury of using a rubber when she makes a mistake, and she admitted that this has led to some pretty frustrating moments.

She continued: "The concentration level required is exhausting. It's very intense and for that reason I tend to start with the most complicated part of the picture first.

"You know you have to get it right first time, as you can't rub anything out.

"I have made a few mistakes though. I was drawing this full colour image on A2 paper and after working on it for four days solidly I suddenly thought it didn't look right, so I had to start again from scratch.

"You get very annoyed with yourself and its sheer determination that keeps me going."

People were impressed with Jane's black Biro art, so on seeing her coloured works they were completely blown away, and Jane said she thought the main reason for this is that people didn't think biros would allow her to be so creative.

"When I show people the coloured drawings they are taken aback and can't believe I could produce such things using only a Biro.
"They often ask if it's a special kind of pen I'm using but all I use are biros you could buy anywhere.

"I think people only associate the level of accuracy I try to achieve with pencil, they don't think a Biro would be capable."

Jane's new body of work is entitled 'Tales from the East' and was inspired by her love of eastern European history, cinema and documentaries.

It features images synonymous with World War Two and the Chernobyl disaster and Jane described the collection as "a memorial for the lives lost and the changing of political regimes," and added that it "focuses on normal people affected by the actions of others."

Jane is currently exhibiting some of her earlier work in a gallery in Hexham but has ambitions to exhibit in Newcastle, London and maybe even further afield in the countries that have inspired her so much.
For further information log on to Jane's website at www. janebmccrackenart.co.uk.