Jan Blanch was born in Norfolk and has always been an enthusiastic artist. Having been brought up on a farm, she had the perfect opportunity to study flowers, which are her favourite subject.

Jan had been painting for many years, alongside running a house and looking after a family, until what began as an interest became a full time occupation due to the constant demand for her work, which has brought her international renown.

For over twenty years her watercolour paintings have graced the walls of houses around the world, while many have been reproduced in the form of greetings cards and stationery, sold internationally under the name of Cottage Flowers.

Her art has been exhibited around the country, including the Society of Botanical Artists’ exhibition in London, and she is invited each year to exhibit at the Hampton Court Flower Show.

Her works have been sold in Harrods, Fortnum and Masons and Liberty’s of London, as well as WH Smith, and a large order from Boots enabled her to convert a barn to include a large studio in which to work.

Much of Jan’s work in the past was shipped to Kobe, where a Japanese businessman who became enchanted with Jan’s art established a gallery exclusively to introduce her work to the Japanese public, where flower painting is a highly respected tradition.

Jan always works from life and when it is not possible to work in the countryside, likes to gather the flowers to work on in her studio at West Somerton in the heart of the Norfolk Broads.

More recently Jan has been passing on her wealth of talent to others, running art classes painting flowers, gardens and landscapes in watercolour, based at her Leath Barn studio. Visit the Watercolour Workshops page for details of the full range of courses, from single 'taster' days to three and five day workshops, weekly lessons and painting holidays in Greece and Norfolk.

You can view a selection of Jan's prints (which are available to buy) on the Prints page.