Jean McElvane

Jean McElvane (b. 1973) is a Bay Area artist who has been working at NIAD Art Center since 1991. She creates mixed-media sculptures using recycled, found, and manipulated materials. Many of these objects incorporate multiple innovative craft techniques, and often take the shape of pollinators like insects, bats, and birds. Here, McElvane describes her meticulous process and her deeply emotional connection with the work: 

“My art is my children. I make what I like and share it with the world. With projects I make in detail, I look at what's in front of me. Anything I've made in the past has been improved over the years through studies.

Whenever I make something, I always keep an exact few samples for myself. Sometimes I wear them for display, like a human tree, and/or have them displayed where I work.

I also keep samples of a work-in-progress in progressive steps from start to finish. Hoping to have answers for questions posed by viewers of my work, I also include pages of instructions and photos for each art project. It's easy for me to speak my mind that way.”

In 2016, McElvane's work was showcased in a solo exhibition at NIAD Art Center. She has since participated in many group exhibitions around the Bay Area, including those at the Oakland Museum of California, MarinMOCA, Bedford Gallery, ACCI Gallery, 120710 Gallery, Et al. Gallery, and the Richmond Art Center.

Jean McElvane is a mixed media artist who primarily works in sculpture, drawing and painting.  Pollinators are a key subject for Jean’s practice, which she has been exploring since 2017.  Jean was commissioned to make about four different pollinator mobiles for a Marin County Event, who previously purchased a hummingbird mobile at one of the NIAD weekend openings.  Dragonflies & other pollinators came in later, including as brooch pins.  

Sharing about the process behind her pollinator works, she says:  

“Tin-National-by-3’s or Tinsby-3 (tins-be-3) for short, have three meanings  

1 – Tin (all made from tin foil)  

2 – National (international)  

3 – by 3s (3 dimensional / close to lifeness like)  

There are seven or eight of the pollinator subjects I’ve made so far. These include Hamlet  Hummingbird (their leader), Whirley (Old World) Swallowtail, Buzby Bee, Batrick Bat, Drake Fleeby Dragonfly (even if not a pollinator technically, I have been asked to make  them), Butterfly Tubbler, Ladle-Spoon Ladybug, & Tiger Swallowtail.”  

When asked about how she creates the names for her pieces she shares, “I go by personality.”  

They all hang on their personal Tinsby Tree (their home) as a display, along with specimen steps  on how they’re made. Jean observes, “They are my personal collections, my prototype samples I  keep with me to help me produce more and to show to others.” The display samples have a different mark to distinguish them from works that are for sale. It is important to Jean to keep  display pieces for her own private archive of her work.  

Harlequin Masks are another frequent subject studied within Jean’s sculptural practice. She shares, “The Sculpey masks were once puppet heads that had hair crack lines because I didn’t  use enough clay in certain places. After trying multiple gluing /repairing techniques, I then  decided to convert them into masks, including the plasticine clay, that were once used as holding  devices for the Sculpey puppet heads. I like using both Sculpey and plasticine.”  

Jean likes to source materials from many places including recycling centers, household items,  NIAD, Amazon, Etsy and Target. Types of recycled materials within her practice may include  aluminum foil, caps, lids and juice bottles. When asked why she centers recycled materials  within her work she shares, “They’re useful and beautiful.” Other materials frequently used  include markers, masking tape, nail polish, fibers/cloths and paper clips.  

Jean is a self motivated artist who creates her own monthly goals. Each month she has a different  series that she is focused on with the goal of completing ten within that series. For the month of July she will be dedicated to dragonflies and in August she will move onto telephones. Jean likes  to refine and rework a few specific subjects within her practice, finding that the time frame of a  month offers enough time for experimenting and troubleshooting new materials.  

Every month NIAD has weekend exhibition openings where Jean sets up her work space to focus on her arts and crafts. She brings her art work samples to display and share with the public. She also has printouts on each of her arts and crafts with background information to explain the making process.  

In NIAD’s virtual Zoom studio Jean participates with her q-tee clown daughter named Pepe.  Pepe sometimes dances during Jam Sessions on Fridays, while Jean shows music videos to  match what music is played. Jean values her time in the NIAD virtual studio as well as in person on Wednesdays and Fridays. In addition to her visual art practice, Jean curates musical playlists  on special occasions that she shares with close friends, NIAD staff & family.  

When asked how she envisions her work she shares simply, “Out in the world.”