Short Bio
Jan Carey is an emerging abstract artist based in Ellicott City, Maryland, working primarily with acrylics and mixed media. Professionally she is a Sex Therapist specializing in couples work in private practice. She began painting in 2022 after moving to Maryland during the pandemic. Being alone with too much time, she took an online 12-week course in abstract painting called “Find Your Joy”, by Louise Fletcher. She fell in love with the opportunity to create something that didn’t have to be representational in form and instead could be intuitive. After completing the course, she wanted more and found Nicholas Wilton’s online course which Fletcher also attended, called The Creative Visionary Program, a 16-week immersive abstract painting course. Carey's work unfolds through an intuitive process of layering the canvas multiple times, where bold, organic shapes and vibrant color harmonies interplay to form layered textures and shifting forms. As a colorist, she uses a saturated yet nuanced palette to evoke mood and emotion, creating immersive environments on the canvas. Her compositions invite viewers to find their own meaning within the interplay of color, shape, and depth, offering a sensory experience that transcends narrative. Carey thinks of her paintings as dreamscapes — vivid, yet elusive — capturing the ephemeral feeling of a dream just before waking. She hopes her work transports viewers into that liminal space, if only for a few seconds, where imagination and sensation merge. Carey's work has been exhibited at Recharge Modern Health and Fitness, Ellicott City, MD, Art on the Porch, Baltimore, MD, The Peale Museum, with the Baker Artists, Baltimore, MD, Montgomery Art Association- Paint the Town, Kensington, MD, and Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo, MD. She was awarded First Place in the January 2025 Howard County Art Council, Howard County Open, Emerging Artist Award for her entered piece. This was the first award to an abstract artist in the 25 years of the exhibit. Carey is currently developing a body of atmospheric work that embraces greater freedom, fluid movement, and a nuanced exploration of neutral tones. An upcoming solo exhibition at Brookside Gardens, Silver Spring, MD, is scheduled for Fall 2026.
Statement
Jan Carey is an emerging abstract painter working in acrylic and mixed media. In January 2025 she was awarded First Place in the 2025 Howard County Open- Covington Emerging Artist Award—an unexpected but affirming milestone in her creative journey.
Her path to painting began in 2022, after relocating to Maryland during the pandemic. Looking for connection and a way to ease the loneliness of a new chapter, she signed up for an online painting class. What started as a casual experiment quickly became a vital outlet—offering not just a creative practice, but a way to return to herself. As a sex and couples psychotherapist, she spends much of her time immersed in the emotional landscapes of others. Painting has become a necessary space for spontaneity, play, and self-expression.
Her process is intuitive. She begins each piece without a plan, responding in the moment to color, shape, and texture. Sometimes her palette is chosen with intention; other times, it’s made up of leftovers from a previous piece—something she embraces as part of the creative challenge. She works with limitations to avoid overthinking, inviting more flow, impulse, and surprise. Subtraction plays a central role in her technique, revealing layers and textures that bring depth to her work.
Mixed media adds another layer of complexity. She often brings in pastels, crayons, or pencils to extend energy and line, making each piece feel dynamic and alive. Organic shapes, bold gestures, and playful contrasts emerge naturally in her work, creating moments of tension and discovery.
What draws her to abstraction is its openness. Each viewer can bring their own meaning to the piece—there’s no single story, just a space to explore. She hopes her work offers a moment of novelty, curiosity, and sensory immersion—a pause from the predictable, and maybe even a little adventure.
Biography
Jan Carey is an abstract artist based in Ellicott City, Maryland, working primarily with acrylics and mixed media. Professionally she is a Sex Therapist specializing in couples work in private practice. She began painting in 2022 after moving to Maryland during the pandemic. Being alone with too much time, she took an online 12-week course in abstract painting called “Find Your Joy”, by Louise Fletcher. She fell in love with the opportunity to create something that didn’t have to be representational in form and instead could be intuitive. After completing the course, she wanted more and found Nicholas Wilton’s online course which Fletcher also attended, called The Creative Visionary Program, a 16-week immersive abstract painting course. Carey's work unfolds through an intuitive process of layering the canvas multiple times, where bold, organic shapes and vibrant color harmonies interplay to form layered textures and shifting forms. As a colorist, she uses a saturated yet nuanced palette to evoke mood and emotion, creating immersive environments on the canvas. Her compositions invite viewers to find their own meaning within the interplay of color, shape, and depth, offering a sensory experience that transcends narrative. Carey thinks of her paintings as dreamscapes — vivid, yet elusive — capturing the ephemeral feeling of a dream just before waking. She hopes her work transports viewers into that liminal space, if only for a few seconds, where imagination and sensation merge.
Carey's work has been exhibited at Recharge Modern Health and Fitness, Ellicott City, MD, Art on the Porch, Baltimore, MD, The Peale Museum, with the Baker Artists, Baltimore, MD, Montgomery Art Association- Paint the Town, Kensington, MD, and Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo, MD. She was awarded First Place in the January 2025 Howard County Art Council, Howard County Open, Emerging Artist Award for her entered piece. This was the first award to an abstract artist in the 25 years of the exhibit.
Carey is currently developing a body of atmospheric work that embraces greater freedom, fluid movement, and a nuanced exploration of neutral tones. An upcoming solo exhibition at Brookside Gardens, Silver Spring, MD, is scheduled for Fall 2026.
Resume / CV
Jan Carey
7901 Brightlight Place, Ellicott City, MD 21043
(215) 272-1161
https://bakerartist.org/portfo...
Education
2022, Find Your Joy, 12- week virtual, immersive art class by Louise Fletcher
2023, Creative Visionary Program, 16-week virtual, immersive art class by Nicholas Wilton
Exhibitions
2025
Recharge Modern Health and Fitness, Ellicott City, MD, Solo Exhibition
Howard County Art Council, Howard County Open, Ellicott City, MD, Group Exhibition, juried
2024
Recharge Modern Health and Fitness, Ellicott City, MD - Group Exhibition
Art on the Porch, Baltimore, MD – Group Exhibition
The Peale Museum with the Baker Artists, Baltimore MD – Group Exhibition
Montgomery Art Association- Paint the Town, Kensington, MD – Group Exhibit, juried
Glen Echo Park, The Yellow Barn Studio, Glen Echo, MD- Group Exhibition, juried
Glen Echo Park, Labor Day Art Show, Glen Echo, MD – Group Exhibition, juried
Awards
2025
Howard County Open, Howard County Art Council, Emerging Artist Award and First Place for her entered piece, “Falling Into Place”.
This was the first award to an abstract artist in the 25 years of the exhibit.
