Meet Artist: Justin Francis Kane

A Bird in Hand By Megin Potter

Justin Francis Kane

Like so many others, Justin Francis

Kane is looking forward to the day when he can make a beeline to the salon. In March, just two weeks after his new salon opened, The Beehive Saratoga, at 12 Lake Avenue, in Saratoga Springs, was ordered to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. While the modern space, filled with natural elements; including plants and exposed wood, sits empty, Kane escapes the anxiety of months of unemployment by tapping into his creative side. “When I create art, I want to create something that is more whimsical, unique, and different than what’s in the real world. I want to escape from this world and travel to my own world,” he said.

THE BOY WITH THE BEE

A bee’s job is to humbly travel from flower to flower, collecting its nectar - the essence of its blossom. It’s an animal that Kane identifies with. Justin Kane’s artistic explorations began taking shape while he was studying illustration at Manhattan’s School of Visual Arts. “I like focusing on faces and beauty in my work. I’m telling a story with the images I create,” he said. Kane’s fantastical, elven-like characters humorously, yet heroically, balance his darker figurative representations.

BUZZ-WORTHY BEAUTY

Deciding to use his creativity in a more industrious way, Kane began studying cosmetology at NYC’s Aveda Institute. He soon discovered however, the products he was using in school were irritating his skin. Turning to his grandmother, a Master Herbalist, for help, he created organic soaps and skincare products. Kane’s grandfather, a beekeeper and sculptor of wooden animals, was the initial inspiration behind the bee symbolism on Kane’s products. The bee icon that Kane created from intricately-cut paper is delicate and nuanced, inviting the viewer into the beauty of a friendlier world.

ARTFUL HAIR COLOR

Doing hair for 12 years, including as a color specialist at Sassoon, Kane returned home and for the past five years, has worked as a stylist at The Strand Saratoga hair studio. There, he was practicing the art that would become his specialty; the Balayage method of hair coloring. Balayage is the hand-painting of color onto individual strands to create a softer, more natural look that requires less maintenance than other techniques.

EXPLORING CLAY

Just three years ago, Kane began studying sculpture at the Saratoga Clay Arts Center and immediately got addicted.

“Clay for me, is an exploration – like all of my art is. I’m finding out about myself and my identity through my style and I keep elab- orating on it. I can’t just stick with one thing,” said Kane. Pulling functional pieces, like mugs, from the wheel and embellishing them with clusters of mushrooms evolved into melding organic shapes piped with repetitive textures that represent elemental forms.

A display of Kane’s work is hung within the entrance of Saratoga’s Cantina Restaurant and his luminaries sit on their tables. At Old Saratoga Mercantile, his pieces flew off the shelves. “They immediately stood out to me. There’s a quality about it that looks like he’s been doing it for 100 years,” said owner Christina Myers.

They were a natural fit for the store; reasonably-priced and with a beauty derived from nature.

“His pieces are like him; they have a joy to them and I want to spread that joy all over.”

Follow Kane’s adventures in painting, photography, cooking, gardening and more on Instagram @TheBoyWithTheBee S S