Artwork copyright Jane Degenhardt. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2023.

Artwork copyright Jane Degenhardt. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Everything Time Studio, 2021.

For the Love of Moss, 2020

Jane Degenhardt
American (born 1958)

Location: Foothills Elementary, Buckley

About the Artwork

‘For the Love of Moss’ by Jane Degenhardt explores nature but also our inner selves. Degenhardt notes, “The forest floor springs to life with mosses, mushrooms, and other small organisms, inviting us to dwell for a time in a state of wonder.” This artwork is part of a curated collection by Erin Dengerink in October 2021 at Foothills Elementary, in Buckley, Western Washington. The local art selection committee wanted artworks that are beautiful, intriguing, and spark imagination.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with White River School District.

About the Artist

Jane Degenhardt creates paintings of nature that echo our emotional, intellectual, and spiritual experiences. She notes, “My paintings are an invitation to take a closer look at our human relationship to the natural world, then act with reverence and humility toward that connection.”
Degenhardt earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute in California in 1980 and a Master in Education from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2004. She has been making art, teaching art, and advocating for the arts in education for over 35 years. She currently paints and teaches in Vancouver, Southwestern Washington.