Jane Gyer

Hers was a life well lived. World renowned artist, wife, mother, and active member of the Oakhurst community, Jane Gyer died June 1, 2004, 12 days short of her 79th birthday.

For nearly fifty years Jane Gyer lived in majestic Yosemite National Park and the nearby Sierra Nevada communities where her profound love of nature found expression in her art. Gyer’s keen sense of observation and her expressive paintings reflect the magnificent, unique scenery and changing moods of Yosemite. “I strive to capture an instant in nature, then explore it with line and shape; pushing and pulling with color and values; eliminating and simplifying,” said Gyer. “Whether my statement is representational or abstract is not important to me. I am only concerned with developing my thoughts into a unified work of art.”

Jane’s creative energy was devoted to exploring the challenges of watercolor with occasional forays into acrylic, oil, and scratchboard. Her contributions, which are represented in private and corporate collections, include paintings, murals, mosaics, theater set design, prints, etchings, and book illustrations. One of her more recent paintings is displayed in the historic Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite Valley.

In addition to her formal education in art, Jane studied with various contemporary artists including Joseph Magnani, Millard Sheets, Jade Fon, and David Friend.

Jane Gyer believed in contributing her fine talent to benefit the local communities. A major project was completed shortly before her death, when she helped a group of high school students paint a mural on a cement retaining wall near their school. Through the years she’s donated her paintings to an annual action to raise funds of the Oakhurst Community Park. Her husband, Jack, continues to donate a work of her art each year.

We at AroundYosemite.com will miss her always smiling face and her incredible talent. One of a kind, as a person as well as artist, she’s irreplaceable.