Painting Scotland

POST FALLS - Chat about Scotland's heritage and don't be surprised if tears fill Jan Clizer's eyes.

It's somewhat difficult for the Coeur d'Alene artist to explain, other than she's attached to Scot culture and heritage.

"My genes from Scottish heritage are the strongest," Clizer said. "Talking about bagpipes and draft horses make me cry - it's just a reaction I have - and it's happened to me since I was small."

Clizer's "Painting Scotland" collection - which includes everything Scotland ranging from waterscapes to castles to sheep - is on display at the Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center in Post Falls this month. The exhibit is free.

Clizer, who is a third Scottish but wasn't born there, remembers being fascinated at annual Scottish music festivals she attended with her father in Seattle during her youth.

"There's always been a strong sense of connection for me," she said. "When I go over there (to Scotland), I feel so at home."

Clizer, 57, said she's not alone in her emotional feelings toward the country.

"I've met other outlanders who have the same reactions," she said.

Clizer chalks it up to having a grasp on where you came from and the cultures that make us who we are. Her father's ancestors are from Scotland.

Painting is in Clizer's blood. Her mother still paints a few hours each day at 91.

Clizer, while always interested in art and music, only came into the art world full time about 15 years ago.

"(My mother) discouraged me from doing artwork because she wanted to protect me from the pain she experienced as an artist," said Clizer, referring to how her grandfather wouldn't let her mom pursue art at a young age.

"But creative people need to create. It feeds our soul and lets us blow off steam."

Clizer, who was recently accepted into the Ocean Artists Society dedicated to raising global awareness on ocean issues, estimates she has sold 75 percent of her oil and acrylic paintings in Scotland. She has more than 300 paintings, which also have been displayed on postcards and products ranging from musical instruments to rugs to ceilings. Her work is also featured at All Things Irish in Coeur d'Alene.

One of her favorite paintings is of the historic coastal Dunnottar Castle where the 1990 movie "Hamlet" starring Mel Gibson was filmed.

Clizer's appreciation for her heritage also shines through music. She recently played the fiddle in the sold-out 9 Pint Coggies concert at the JACC. She and some other members of the band will perform in Coeur d'Alene at O'Shay's Irish Pub on March 15 from 7-9 p.m. and at Kelly's Irish Pub on March 17 from 4-7 p.m.

"It is my emphatic belief that providing education and fostering interest in the preservation and growth of our various cultures is vitally important to the healthy existence of mankind and the planet, wherever we may find ourselves," Clizer said.

Free exhibit

The work of Jan Clizer's "Painting Scotland" collection is on display in the Fireside Room of the main floor at the Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center, 405 N. William, Post Falls, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through March. The exhibit is free.