Self-trained Auburn artist Jan Kapple cites her mother’s encouragement as the inspiration for her career. “From an early age, she bought be all my art supplies and then proudly hung my pictures on the refrigerator...she gave me the confidence to make art for the public,” recalls Jan. The story continues in 1990 when Joanne Neft, then the Market Manager for the Foothill Farmers’ Market, came into Kapple Graphics--the graphic design firm Jan owned for 8 years--and invited her to produce the art for the market’s poster. Says Joanne, “Her logo had the letter “K” with a figure of an apple, and I was so impressed with her depiction of the fruit that I knew I wanted her to design the Farmers’ Market poster.”

 

Every year since then, Jan has produced the annual Farmers’ Market poster. Early on her medium evolved from colored pencils to pastels, and the popularity of her poster art has flourished. She was asked to make the artwork for the Mountain Mandarin Festival, the AgroArt Festival, the Auburn Community Festival, the Tahoe Art Festival, the Roseville Strawberry Festival, the Loomis Eggplant Festival, the Roseville Christmas Keepers Festival, Clayfest and the Nevada City Wordslinger Book Festival. Joanne Neft praises Jan’s unique ability to celebrate the county’s agricultural heritage and artistic spirit: “She always captures the essence of the festival or event, and she captures that essence in a warm and positive manner.”

 

Jan Kapple’s posters are always very popular with collectors of local memorabilia, as well as art aficionados all over California and throughout the nation. Currently, Jan coordinates the Placer County Art Docent Program, which brings fine arts to young children and adolescents in public schools. By doing so, she hopes to promote a sense of appreciation and self-confidence in school children that her own mother did those many years ago.