The art and heart of Jane Seymour

“When one keeps their heart open to love, it can never stay broken.”

In a phrase, these words appear to symbolize what Jane Seymour’s art is intended to capture. But before she was able to heal herself through painting, the 59-year-old British beauty’s life fell apart.

Seymour, remembered for her two radically different roles (the Bond girl Solitaire from Live and Let Die, and the leading lady in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) is now also a famous painter and stars as herself wherever she takes her art on tour. In addition to caring for her family, she cites creating her art as also having a calming effect.

“Painting has become a great passion for me; it’s something I really love — I get totally lost in it,” she says.

As sometimes happens in love, however, Seymour wasn’t able to free herself as an artist without first experiencing deep emotional pain.
She didn’t begin to paint as a career until 20 years ago, after experiencing an upheaval in her relationship with her then-husband, “whom I trusted completely,” she says.  

This personal hurt and financial crisis resulted in the dissolution of the 10-year marriage, a time that Seymour recalls as being “lonely and terrifying.”

Seymour remained strong despite these life-altering changes, setbacks that could arguably plunge many other stars into the abyss of self-destruction.

“I turned to my mother, who had survived a concentration camp during World War II and she told me that if something insurmountable happened, you should reach into your heart, open it up, let it out and start again,” says Seymour.

Holding onto her mother’s advice, Seymour attended a charity auction for a group called Childhelp, which cares for abandoned and abused young people. One of the items was a commission for a portrait. Despite the fear that at any moment, not only was she going to be bankrupt, but homeless, Seymour put down every last cent she had to have someone paint her with her children.

“When the artist came over, he noticed that I had started doing some rough studies with my daughter’s finger-paints and told me that I had talent. I laughed at first, but he guided me and reminded me of what I had once known, but then forgotten,” Seymour says.

She was finally able to let go of her turmoil and find somewhat of a personal retreat in her art.

“The time just flies by and I forget to eat or sleep or do anything,” says Seymour. “What I love about [painting] is that I see the world differently. I really see the world in terms of light and dark and textures. I see colour, I see form. I see things I may have taken for granted and say, ‘Oh, that’s beautiful.’ I actually see it in a much more profound way when painting.”

For one of her most recent Canadian exhibitions, Seymour brought her body of work, The Art of Jane Seymour, with her to Art Trax Gallery in Mississauga, Ont., in November. Looking around the gallery then, Seymour remained true to her beaming sense of optimism. Her  works are brightly coloured, cheery, and filled with positivity — such as seascapes, flowers, women and children.

“It’s much closer to the core of who I really am,” says Seymour. She says she was always fond of painting as a young child, continuing the craft up until high school. Since picking up her brush again later in life, the world-famous actress (and now artist) is more confident she’s been restored to her regular self.

“I’m beyond blessed to be able to do this, and next to my family [it’s] one of my greatest joys, and I hope I will keep it up for the rest of my life.”

Today, Seymour’s painting has taken her around the world and she has been an official artist of the last three Olympics. She also designed a series of Open Heart paintings, sculptures, as well as a jewelry line to underscore her art’s themes and relates strongly to what they represent.

“I believe that when your heart is open you receive things,” she says.

During her visit to Art Trax Gallery, Seymour looked deeply at one of her paintings. “I almost died once. I had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic shot on a movie set and I stopped breathing. I saw the white place, the tunnel and the light, but I had no fear. I could hear them calling my name and then I spoke to whatever was at the end of the tunnel.”

To this mysterious voice, Seymour told them, “I’d like to get back into my body, because there’s a lot more things I still want to do.”
While expressing herself artistically may have helped her take care of her personal demons, Seymour recalls with a laugh that she also needed to make a living.

“I called up my agent and told him I needed to work desperately and would take anything.”

“Anything” turned out to be the television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Seymour was a perfect match for the show that ran for six seasons and was also turned into two made-for-TV movies. Currently, it still airs in over 98 countries.

She believes that she was destined somehow to play Dr. Quinn, because her father passed away at the time and he was a doctor.
With a new year in full swing, Seymour admits she’s been a tad busier than she’d like to be for the moment.

In line with the success of her art, jewelry line, commissions, and keeping up with her philanthropy work, Seymour also pulled off filming three movies last year: At Home with Prudence, Waiting for Forever and Love, Wedding, Marriage.

At Home with Prudence stars Seymour’s real-life daughter Katie Flynn, as well as Joe Lando from Dr. Quinn. Her now-husband, director James Keach, also had a cameo role in the film, so it was a bit of a family affair, jokes Seymour. But she is just as excited about the debut of the second movie, Waiting for Forever, coming out at the end of January.  For this romance starring Rachel Bilson and Thomas Sturridge, Seymour acted as one of the producers and her husband directed. “It’s hard to describe this one, it’s unique,” she says.  

Lastly, in Love, Wedding, Marriage, Seymour is cast as Mandy Moore and Jessica Szohr’s crazy mother who causes major upheaval in their lives, a role that would be considered totally off from her true personality. No matter what lies ahead for Seymour, she confirms there is only one image she is certain will get her through any future challenges and rewards: An open heart.  •