Janet Ayliffe

Janet was born and lived for eighteen years on Kangaroo Island, later moving to the Adelaide Hills. She graduated in 1972 in Fine Art Painting from the South Australian School of Art and has been a printmaker, painter and teacher for over 20 years. In that time, she has developed a highly original style. A pioneer of solar plate etching (Photopolymer) techniques as well as multiple plate work, she produces art that is both accessible, deeply complex and at times mystical.

Janet’s etchings often involve the use of multiple plates carrying different colours, as well as incorporating chine collé, archival digital and hand painted elements. Her imagery is drawn from her inner world, her family, the surrounding landscape of the Adelaide Hills and her childhood home on the Island. She looks into the natural world with wonder and reverence, as she does with her inner life, combining and layering them in a unique visual expression.