Layne was born in Seattle, Washington and raised in Portland, Oregon. She moved back to Seattle in 1969 to attend the University of Washington. She received a BA degree in art in 1973. In the fall of that year she went to Europe to travel and meet “old world” relatives before settling down to the business of earning a living. Her first job upon returning was as a counselor at a residential treatment center for adolescent girls in Yakima, WA. It was in Yakima that she bought her first house, and remodeled it. That house turned out to be the first of three that she bought and remodeled on her own, before marrying a general contractor in 1989, and taking on three more house remodels as a twosome. The majority of Layne’s working years were spent as a kitchen designer in Bellevue, WA. In 2001, she and her husband quit their jobs to take a six-month driving trip around the US and Canada in a VW Euro van. It was during this time that she made the decision to seriously pursue her passion for art in the form of painting. She has been actively painting and exhibiting since then, and has work in many private collections as well as in Harborview Hospital, Swedish Hospital, Hotel Max, International Kitchens, Ryan Swanson and Cleveland law firm, and other corporations and institutions.

Artist Statement

As an art student in the early 70’s, I found that my interest lay in the applied arts, specifically textile printing and design. I did some painting, but often was at a loss for subject matter. Now, some 30 years later, the ideas flow faster than I can implement them; I like to think that my experience and broader outlook as an older person have contributed to this creative energy. I am fascinated by all aspects of painting; the power of a good composition, the role of light and shadows, the use of color and the value of restraint in using color. I enjoy painting all kinds of subjects, but favor the human form. Artists I admire include Toulouse Lautrec, Edward Hopper, Fairfield Porter, and Richard Diebenkorn, as well as many painters of today. I delight in the process of working out every painting, and hope that some of that joy is conveyed to the viewer through my work.