Introducing Jan Avellana, Illustrator Stupendous!

Meet Jan Avellana, artist from Honolulu, Hawaii! Jan is a busy mom of two young boys 24/7, a first grade teacher by day and an illustrator and writer by night. And she just discovered the power of COFFEE. Please visit Jan’s portfolio and leave a hearty "Hello!" for her in the comments :)​

What is your favorite crayon or paint color?

Robin's egg, sea-ish blue green and mustard yellow. Oh, and a good, warm, dark grey. And white. Does white count, lol?! OH! And a vintagey pink with just the right shade of a kind of avocado green.

If you were a super hero what would your super power be? And your name?

Hmmm. Ummmmm...Hm. I don't know. Oh, okay, I know! In real life I have these super-duper weird fast reflexes—like, I've caught cups of coffee falling off the table in mid-air and jars falling from store shelves before they hit the ground. Really! I guess I'm Fast Reflex Girl. How sexy is that?!

Tell us about how you decided to pursue a career in art?

Long and tortured story still in the making (cue sad violin melody). I didn't take a single art class until college. Then I was obsessed. I started out in graphic design but found that the studio arts were more my passion, so I went into elementary education, because that makes total sense—ha—apparently my Super Hero Reflex Powers don't translate into great career choices! Anyhoo, to make a long story shorter, I started over again when my sons were born, with an Etsy shop in 2006 making silver jewelry. One thing led to another and I eventually made my way into illustration. :) There's lots more about the story here if you'd like to have a looksee :)

What inspires you?

Nature. The outdoors, the sea, my children, my husband, great books with wonderful rich stories and characters. Yummy food. Colors. Poetry. Walking through boutiques and savoring pages of artbooks, meandering through museums. Life.

Tutu or Boa?

A great pair of old blue jeans.

Your wish for mankind.....

That we live in loving kindness with one another. That we speak the truth about our lives, with courage and transparency and authenticity. That the love of Jesus Christ comes through His people—starting with me—in realer, self-less, big hearted ways.