About The Artist

Hi there! I'm Jan Simmala, an abstract impressionist artist based in San Francisco, CA.
I've been drawn to nature since birth, finding my truest self in forests and rivers long before I had words for it. Growing up in Lao culture meant learning to suppress emotions to fit cultural expectations, but nature was always my refuge, the place where my whimsical, quietly rebellious spirit could breathe freely.
For years, I channeled my sensitivity into designing digital experiences in life sciences and healthcare, but wireframes could never capture the full spectrum of wonder and feeling I experienced outdoors. Out in nature, I'd encounter these fleeting surreal moments, like yellow aspen trees contrasting against the blue sky, or mountain formations that envelop another mountain, scenes I wish I could stay in forever, but can't.
My paintings became my way of stopping time, of holding onto those fleeting encounters where my inner child felt free to wander while my adult self could quietly process years of accumulated feeling. Through abstract impressionism, I capture not just what I see in these landscapes, but what I'm finally allowed to feel in them: the full complexity of calm and chaos, emotional highs and lows, groundedness and complete freedom.
As I grew more confident in expressing myself, my art evolved too. I shifted from traditional impressionism toward a more abstract, expressive style. I began stripping away details to make more room for feeling and started using bold, contrasting colors to push not just visual boundaries but emotional ones. Through these contrasts, calm and chaos, clarity and confusion, stillness and motion, I try to capture the full range of what it means to be human. That tension between playfulness and thoughtfulness, boldness and gentleness, lives in every piece I create.
Whether you’re looking at my work for a quiet home or a lively public space, I hope it evokes the same feeling it gives me: one of being uplifted, calm, and lost in the present.
Where Am I Showing?
Click on "See Upcoming Events" button to see where else I'm showing!
I'm also showing in my art studio in San Francisco (Market St & Van Ness Ave). Get in touch for a personalized tour!
You May Have Seen Me At...
OMW (On My Way), Mission Bowling Club, San Francisco, CA (May-Nov 2025)
SVOS (Silicon Vally Open Studios), Los Alto Hills (May 2025)
Art Bazaar, Journal Building, San Francisco, CA (May 2025)
IAMA (International Art Museum of America) Pop-Up, San Francisco, CA (Apr 2025)
Spring Solstice Inner Sunset Art, San Francisco, CA (Mar 2025)
Pancakes & Booze Art Show, San Francisco, CA (Mar 2025)
Drawing Room Pop-Up, San Francisco, CA (Mar 2025)
Ethereal, CounterPulse, San Francisco, CA (Feb-Apr 2025)
Winter Solstice Inner Sunset Art, San Francisco, CA (Dec 2024)
Benchmark Holiday Market, San Francisco, CA (Dec 2024)
Holy Smokes Art Bazaar, San Francisco, CA (Dec 2024)
MAUM Market, Hayes, San Francisco, CA (Nov 2024)
Pancakes & Booze Art Show, San Francisco, CA (Nov 2024)
Rosebud Gallery, San Francisco, CA (Oct 2024)
MAUM Market, Sunnyvale, CA (Oct 2024)
SF Open Studios, San Francisco, CA (Sep 2024)
MeleMelo Kava Art Bar - Artist of the Month, Oakland, CA (Sep 2024)
Art Battle, San Francisco, CA (Aug 2024)
Pancakes & Booze Art Show, San Francisco, CA (Jul 2024)
Pancakes & Booze Art Show, San Francisco, CA (Feb 2024)