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Jane Maxwell Paintings

American

In her provocative collagist works, Boston, Massachusetts-born contemporary mixed media artist Jane Maxwell explores body image and harmful ideas about conventional beauty as perpetuated by the media. 

Maxwell spent a lot of time during her childhood in her grandfather’s South Boston garment factory. She admired the fashion designers and delighted in the doll-size versions of the clothing that the designers would make for her. She loved the different textures and patterns she discovered on the facility's bolts of fabric. There, Maxwell’s love of fashion, design and pop culture was born. 

Maxwell works with images mined from vintage fashion magazines and newspapers, constructing layered, multifaceted paintings that are bound with melted beeswax and finished with high-gloss resin. The sometimes complex imagery in her art, which features text and graphic elements from ads and billboard signage, isn’t a nod to haute couture fashion. It is instead a comment on the fashion industry's unrealistic body portrayals and Maxwell’s complicated relationship with her own self-image. 

“Into my adulthood, my love for fashion grew, but I went through a period of deeply resenting the fashion industry for teasing me with clothes that I could neither fit into nor afford,” Maxwell has written.

Maxwell’s use of negative space to create silhouettes is the artist’s way of telling us what she thinks is missing in the fashion industry — input from women. Maxwell sees challenges in women’s quests to find accurate representation within their clothing choices, and she highlights this theme by utilizing repurposed marketing materials to create iconic silhouettes that project confidence and power.

Maxwell earned a BA in literature from Middlebury College. She studied mixed media at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and at the deCordova Museum School in Lincoln, Massachusetts. Maxwell has been a guest college lecturer on the subject of body imagery, art and fashion, and was included in the 30th-anniversary edition of the noteworthy publication Who’s Who in American Art.

Maxwell’s first exhibit of note was in 2000 at Newburyport at the Newburyport Art Association’s Annual Juried Show where she won the Mixed Media Prize. Since then she has had dozens of exhibits across the United States as well as France and the United Kingdom.

On 1stDibs, find authentic Jane Maxwell paintings, mixed media works and other art. 

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Artist: Jane Maxwell
Handbag Blue_2022_Jane Maxwell, Female Figurative Collage, Mixed Media
By Jane Maxwell
Located in 326 N Coast Hwy. | Laguna Beach, CA
JANE MAXWELL "Handbag Blue" Mixed Media on Paper 36" x 29" Unframed ; 42.5" x 35.75" Framed Jane Maxwell’s artwork approaches the female body with an affectionate and celebratory fe...
Category

2010s Contemporary Jane Maxwell Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Silhouettes_2022_Jane Maxwell, Female Figurative Collage, Mixed Media/Paper
By Jane Maxwell
Located in 326 N Coast Hwy. | Laguna Beach, CA
JANE MAXWELL "Silhouettes" Mixed Media on Paper 33" x 31" Unframed ; 38.5" x 35.75" Framed Jane Maxwell’s artwork approaches the female body with an affectionate and celebratory feminist perspective. Extending her focus on female empowerment and fashion to swimwear, Maxwell’s silhouettes emerge from the dimensional, textural, backgrounds clad in the vestiges of paper ephemera. Maintaining texture through layering and building up the surface, the enigmatic quality of the works is reiterated by Maxwell’s use of ads and billboard materials that reveal words and phrases that tease us with alluring allusions. The anonymous figures have a definitive flair and attitude, keeping us at a distance as they swim and sunbathe, while pulling us further into their multi-dimensional narratives. Jane Maxwell's current work largely focuses on women, body image and the feminine ideal. Her collages are deeply layered works, combining color, texture and text that surround and become the female figure. Maxwell's artistic voice grew out of a passion for vintage materials, modern fashion and design - mingled with a deep fascination for pop culture and female icons. In the late 1990's she studied mixed media at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and at the Decordova Museum School in Lincoln, Massachusetts. She graduated with a BA in Literature from Middlebury College...
Category

2010s Contemporary Jane Maxwell Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Pink & Yellow Walking Girls_Jane Maxwell, Female Figurative Collage, Mixed Media
By Jane Maxwell
Located in 326 N Coast Hwy. | Laguna Beach, CA
JANE MAXWELL "Pink & Yellow Walking Girls" Mixed Media on Paper 36" x 31" Unframed ; 42.25" x 35.50" Framed Jane Maxwell’s artwork approaches the female body with an affectionate a...
Category

2010s Contemporary Jane Maxwell Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Red Billboard_2022_Jane Maxwell, Female Figurative Collage, Mixed Media/Paper
By Jane Maxwell
Located in 326 N Coast Hwy. | Laguna Beach, CA
JANE MAXWELL "Red Billboard" Mixed Media on Paper 37" x 31" Unframed ; 42.5" x 35.5" Framed Jane Maxwell’s artwork approaches the female body with an affectionate and celebratory fe...
Category

2010s Contemporary Jane Maxwell Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Oval Sexy Snowboarder_2021_Jane Maxwell, Female Figurative Collage, Mixed Media
By Jane Maxwell
Located in 326 N Coast Hwy. | Laguna Beach, CA
JANE MAXWELL "Oval Sexy Snowboarder" Mixed Media with Resin on Panel 48" x 36" Jane Maxwell’s artwork approaches the female body with an affectionate and celebratory feminist perspective. Extending her focus on female empowerment and fashion to swimwear, Maxwell’s silhouettes emerge from the dimensional, textural, backgrounds clad in the vestiges of paper ephemera. Maintaining texture through layering and building up the surface, the enigmatic quality of the works is reiterated by Maxwell’s use of ads and billboard materials that reveal words and phrases that tease us with alluring allusions. The anonymous figures have a definitive flair and attitude, keeping us at a distance as they swim and sunbathe, while pulling us further into their multi-dimensional narratives. Jane Maxwell's current work largely focuses on women, body image and the feminine ideal. Her collages are deeply layered works, combining color, texture and text that surround and become the female figure. Maxwell's artistic voice grew out of a passion for vintage materials, modern fashion and design - mingled with a deep fascination for pop culture and female icons. In the late 1990's she studied mixed media at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and at the Decordova Museum School in Lincoln, Massachusetts. She graduated with a BA in Literature from Middlebury College...
Category

2010s Contemporary Jane Maxwell Paintings

Materials

Resin, Mixed Media, Wood Panel

Green Sexy Snowboarder_2021_Jane Maxwell, Female Figurative Collage, Mixed Media
By Jane Maxwell
Located in 326 N Coast Hwy. | Laguna Beach, CA
JANE MAXWELL "Green Sexy Snowboarder" Mixed Media with Resin on Panel 58" x 27" Jane Maxwell’s artwork approaches the female body with an affectionate and celebratory feminist perspective. Extending her focus on female empowerment and fashion to swimwear, Maxwell’s silhouettes emerge from the dimensional, textural, backgrounds clad in the vestiges of paper ephemera. Maintaining texture through layering and building up the surface, the enigmatic quality of the works is reiterated by Maxwell’s use of ads and billboard materials that reveal words and phrases that tease us with alluring allusions. The anonymous figures have a definitive flair and attitude, keeping us at a distance as they swim and sunbathe, while pulling us further into their multi-dimensional narratives. Jane Maxwell's current work largely focuses on women, body image and the feminine ideal. Her collages are deeply layered works, combining color, texture and text that surround and become the female figure. Maxwell's artistic voice grew out of a passion for vintage materials, modern fashion and design - mingled with a deep fascination for pop culture and female icons. In the late 1990's she studied mixed media at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and at the Decordova Museum School in Lincoln, Massachusetts. She graduated with a BA in Literature from Middlebury College...
Category

2010s Contemporary Jane Maxwell Paintings

Materials

Resin, Mixed Media, Wood Panel

Snowboard_2021_Jane Maxwell, Female Figurative Collage, Mixed Media
By Jane Maxwell
Located in 326 N Coast Hwy. | Laguna Beach, CA
JANE MAXWELL "Snowboard" Mixed Media with Resin on Panel 58" x 27" Jane Maxwell’s artwork approaches the female body with an affectionate and celebratory feminist perspective. Extending her focus on female empowerment and fashion to swimwear, Maxwell’s silhouettes emerge from the dimensional, textural, backgrounds clad in the vestiges of paper ephemera. Maintaining texture through layering and building up the surface, the enigmatic quality of the works is reiterated by Maxwell’s use of ads and billboard materials that reveal words and phrases that tease us with alluring allusions. The anonymous figures have a definitive flair and attitude, keeping us at a distance as they swim and sunbathe, while pulling us further into their multi-dimensional narratives. Jane Maxwell's current work largely focuses on women, body image and the feminine ideal. Her collages are deeply layered works, combining color, texture and text that surround and become the female figure. Maxwell's artistic voice grew out of a passion for vintage materials, modern fashion and design - mingled with a deep fascination for pop culture and female icons. In the late 1990's she studied mixed media at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and at the Decordova Museum School in Lincoln, Massachusetts. She graduated with a BA in Literature from Middlebury...
Category

2010s Contemporary Jane Maxwell Paintings

Materials

Resin, Mixed Media, Wood Panel

Sexy Skier Diptych_2021, Jane Maxwell_Female Figurative/Collage/Mixed Media/Pop
By Jane Maxwell
Located in 326 N Coast Hwy. | Laguna Beach, CA
JANE MAXWELL "Sexy Skier Diptych" (2 Panels) Mixed Media with Resin on Panel 58" x 27" each 58" x 54" Overall Jane Maxwell’s artwork approaches the female body with an affectionate and celebratory feminist perspective. Extending her focus on female empowerment and fashion to swimwear, Maxwell’s silhouettes emerge from the dimensional, textural, backgrounds clad in the vestiges of paper ephemera. Maintaining texture through layering and building up the surface, the enigmatic quality of the works is reiterated by Maxwell’s use of ads and billboard materials that reveal words and phrases that tease us with alluring allusions. The anonymous figures have a definitive flair and attitude, keeping us at a distance as they swim and sunbathe, while pulling us further into their multi-dimensional narratives. Jane Maxwell's current work largely focuses on women, body image and the feminine ideal. Her collages are deeply layered works, combining color, texture and text that surround and become the female figure. Maxwell's artistic voice grew out of a passion for vintage materials, modern fashion and design - mingled with a deep fascination for pop culture and female icons. In the late 1990's she studied mixed media at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and at the Decordova Museum School in Lincoln, Massachusetts. She graduated with a BA in Literature from Middlebury College...
Category

2010s Contemporary Jane Maxwell Paintings

Materials

Resin, Mixed Media, Wood Panel

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Jane Maxwell paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Jane Maxwell paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Jane Maxwell in mixed media, organic material, panel and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Jane Maxwell paintings, so small editions measuring 27 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of David Kramer, Matt Flint, and John Hogan. Jane Maxwell paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $6,400 and tops out at $19,200, while the average work can sell for $6,400.

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