Special Crownies is the work of Jana Grover, known in Corrales as the “crow lady” for her iconic paintings at Indigo Crow restaurant. Besides her popular animal portraits, which also include javelinas and armadillos, Grover has a body of more serious work made up of dark psychological portraits in her intuitive expressionistic style.
Born in remote rural Idaho, she found her true calling long after becoming a teacher in the California public schools. By chance she took a class from famed portrait artist Elaine Badgley-Arnoux, and ended up studying with her for years. Grover now runs a complex of 40 art studios in the same building in San Francisco where she took art classes.
Retired since 2000, she divides her time between San Francisco and a casita in the Corrales bosque that she bought in 1989, which serves as home base for traveling to
art shows throughout the West. She describes her paintings, monotypes, and collages
as portraits of our emotional lives, both light and dark, and has often said that doing
art saved her life. For more information: www.janagrover.com