How Art Becomes a Lifeline When Life Gets Complicated | Jane Henry Parsons, Brandi Hofer, and Rachel Pruzan

There’s something special about hearing artists talk about their work in their own words—what keeps them going, gets them stuck, and brings them joy in the studio. In this feature, we had the chance to speak with three artists—Jane Henry Parsons, Brandi Hofer, and Rachel Pruzan—who each approach creativity in their way yet share a strong pull toward honest expression and connection through their work.

Jane shared how her love of oil paints goes back to childhood, and how years in graphic design shaped how she now builds up layers, colour, and texture to capture what she sees in nature and feels when painting. Brandi talked about how art has always been her anchor, especially when life gets noisy. For her, painting is about being in the moment, making sense of her feelings, and inviting others to do the same. Rachel spoke openly about her process of letting go—using materials like fire and wax to create works that don’t follow a set plan, but evolve along the way.

Together, these artists show no single path to making art. Whether you’re picking up the brush after years in another career, painting beside your kids at home, or experimenting with materials that surprise even you, the thread that runs through it all is a steady return to creating as a way to stay curious, stay grounded, and stay connected—to others and yourself.

Jane Henry Parsons on Returning to Her First Love

For Jane Henry Parsons, oil paint has always held a particular pull. “The smell, the feel, even the patience it demands—always fascinated me,” she shares. But practicality took the lead in her early years. She studied graphic design and worked in that field for two decades before finally allowing herself to return to what she wanted—to paint.

Now working out of her studio in downtown Hudson, MA, Jane creates oil paintings inspired by the natural world and her background in design. Her work often begins with a memory of a place or a walk outside, but quickly becomes about layering—both in paint and feeling. She’s recently started experimenting with cold wax medium, which has opened up new ways to build texture and form.

“I like to play with space,” she says. “My style is colourful, maybe a little playful. I’m not trying to explain everything in the painting. I’m just hoping the viewer feels something.”

Jane’s journey was winding, but her message is steady: don’t wait too long to do the thing that calls to you.

The beauty of an object or place, the surreal nature of the unknown, shape, color relationships, stretching boundaries of composition and perspective are all important to me, but what is felt when viewing a painting is what drives my vision.

To learn more about Jane, click on the links below.

Brandi Hofer on Finding Truth in the Mess

Ask Brandi Hofer about her process; she won’t discuss technique first. She’ll talk about being in the moment, letting the mess guide her, and the beauty of not always knowing where you’re going.

Her studio is on the quiet Canadian prairies, where she paints alongside her children in a space that feels more like a life than a workplace. Brandi is an artist, muralist, podcaster, author, and educator, but it’s her relationship with portraiture and expression that anchors her work.

“I’ve been painting female portraits for years,” she says. “There’s something about the rawness of people, the things they carry in their faces. That’s what I’m drawn to.”

Expressionism is at the core of what she does, but not in a textbook way. Her approach is about instinct, honesty, and staying open to surprise. And while her work has been featured everywhere from the Saatchi Gallery to national television, she’s just as excited about teaching kids in her local school district as she is about murals in New York.

“I paint how I live,” Brandi says. “I want my work to hold a conversation. Not just with me, but with whoever stands before it.”

My art is like a visual diary, with every collection representing pivotal moments and emotional milestones. They’re all precious to me, each telling its unique story.

To learn more about Brandi, visit the links below.

Rachel Pruzan on the Freedom of Letting Go

There’s something almost alchemical about how Rachel Pruzan works. Based in a converted factory in New Jersey, Rachel builds her art from a mix of fire, water, paint, and time. She doesn’t start with a sketch or a plan. “I surrender to the process,” she says. “Only when it’s done do I understand what it was trying to say.”

Rachel didn’t set out to become an artist. Her first painting was a surprise—one that lit a fuse. Since then, she’s followed her curiosity, creating wall sculptures and textured paintings that are raw and sometimes even scorched. She often trades brushes for her hands, letting instinct do the shaping. Metallics and patina-like finishes give her work a sense of being weathered by time, something she attributes to her love of the Japanese idea of wabi-sabi—the beauty in what’s worn, cracked, or incomplete.

“I like the conversation between decay and shine,” she says. “It’s not about making something look nice. It’s about showing what’s real.”

Rachel’s work might be emotional, even wild at times, but her approach is measured. She watches what the materials want to do, and listens.

Much of my process is unpredictable, and I surrender to it completely. Whether layering paint, blending inks, or using fire to sculpt and scorch, it excites me to never know precisely where I’ll end up.

To learn more about Rachel, click on the links below.

After talking with Jane, Brandi, and Rachel, one thing is clear: art is more than what ends on the canvas. The in-between moments—the experiments, doubts, and quiet breakthroughs— shape the work as much as any finished piece. Each shared how they found their way into art through different doors: childhood curiosity, career shifts, motherhood, or simply a need to create.

We’ve learned that creativity doesn’t follow a straight line. Sometimes, it means pushing through frustration, letting go of control, and showing up at the easel even when you’re not sure what will happen. These artists show us that art can be a steady hand in the chaos, a way to keep learning about yourself and connect with others without needing to say too much.

Their journeys remind us that making art is often more about asking questions than having answers—and maybe that’s the point.

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