Xylor Jane

Xylor Jane (b. 1963, Long Beach, CA) makes rainbow-hued, systems-based paintings that are homages to the intangible and mystical pleasures of numbers.

In highly detailed and minute applications of pigment, Jane visualizes numerals that are uniquely symmetrical or rare such as primes (numbers only divisible by themselves and 1, i.e. 3 and 11), magic squares (a grid of integers in which each row adds to the same sum), and golden ratios (also known as the divine proportion, found in spiraling vegetation patterns among other things).

Knowing that her soft spot for integers is not shared by all, Jane seeks to present them in novel formats, allowing viewers to have new experiences with numbers. In each piece, Jane exalts numerals that she finds exceptionally beautiful. Jane takes a variety of approaches to depicting her numerical subject matter. Some paintings are blocky renditions of special or favorite numbers such as the prime palindrome 32323. Others might use a mathematical system to create a more abstract composition, for example a counting spiral wherein dots are applied in a circling pattern. Still others might bring both approaches together on the same canvas.

Whatever her subject, Jane starts by applying a color ground to panel and then laying down a grid. From there, she fills in colors, lines, and shapes according to the decided upon content. Her application of paint is precise but not perfect in execution; she prefers the works to be handmade. Even though integers are usually thought of as impersonal and objective, Jane’s titles reframe them as highly personal. Using numerology, a system for transforming names and dates into numbers with mystical meanings, Jane has made paintings that translate many of her cats’ names into numerics. Other pieces have memorialized loved ones or explored the near-death experience. Additionally, Jane has made numerous works that depict the number 1221, a palindrome that is also her date of birth. Her mathematical compositions are ways of visualizing or thinking through the passage of time—days lived or distances traversed. In all of her works, Jane invites us to admire and meditate on the engrossing power and beauty of numbers.

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