Jane Wolfgang, mixed media artist and teacher, relaxes in her downtown Apex studio. In September, she closed the space and returned to Pennsylvania.
Jane Wolfgang has a gift.
The talented artist and teacher sees the world differently than most people.
To her, a water tower is not just functional. It is a symbol of town pride perfect for a postcard. An old building is every dream and enterprise that was ever encompassed within. A house is the formation and journey of the family who calls it home.
Artist Jane Wolfgang is known for incorporating photos, blueprints, letters and other documents in her work. The technique can be seen in these details, taken from a mural hanging at Apex High School.
Everywhere Wolfgang looks, she sees the beauty of history. Through her art, Wolfgang shares that vision with others.
Known for her creative integration of multiple media, Wolfgang uses photos, articles, menus, documents and more to help tell a story. She layers the artifacts within a painting, sometimes using them as a focal point, other times, letting them be the foundation.
“It’s kind of like finding Waldo. It might be hidden, but it’s still there,” Wolfgang said.
When the newly constructed Apex High School wanted a mural that would honor its history, Wolfgang was the natural fit.
“There was lots of fun and tears. It was hard work, choosing what to put in, what not to put in,” said Wolfgang.
Community members attended the unveiling event in 2019. Olivia and Kevin Beardsley, Apex High class of 2015, went and were shocked to find themselves in the panel honoring the Apex marching band.
Jane Wolfgang worked with students at Apex High School in 2018 to create 14 panels, each with a theme, to honor the history of Apex schools. These originals hang near the student services office at the high school, and large prints are displayed in the cafeteria.
“Seeing the photo brought back great nostalgic memories of high school,” Olivia Beardsley said. “We were not dating at the time, and we began to feel how surreal it was that when the photo was taken, we had no idea what life had in store.”
Similarly, Wolfgang couldn’t have predicted what life had in store for her when her husband’s job relocated them to Apex in 2013.
An art teacher in Pennsylvania’s public schools for 20 years, Wolfgang loved her career. She resisted moving and couldn’t imagine starting over. But one walk down Salem Street, its quaint colorful buildings canopied by Carolina sky, and she was smitten.
When Jane Wolfgang moved to Apex in 2013, she wanted to send postcards to her friends but couldn’t find any that captured the character of her new home. The artist created her own, and a new career was launched.
“I am obsessed with the blue sky and the pine trees,” she said, adding that her husband could attest to how long it takes to get anywhere. “Everywhere we go, I am always telling him to pull over to the side of the road, so I can take pictures.”
She wanted to share the beauty of North Carolina and the charm of Apex with her northern friends and family. But when she ventured out for postcards, she came home empty-handed. “How can you not have postcards from this town?” she remembers thinking.
She took it upon herself to rectify the situation. She took her photos, gathered materials and got to work. The first postcard she made featured the Apex water tower. Her most popular one is a colorful depiction of Salem Street.
Soon the postcards were sold in boutiques and, with the support of The Apex Gallery owner, Bethany Bryant, she also started selling prints of her designs. Her career quickly shifted from teacher to fully commissioned artist with a downtown studio.
Wolfgang is currently working on the biggest commissioned piece of her career, a signature-style mural for the renovated Colonial Inn Hillsborough.
“It is an awesome, massive piece we are going to put in the lobby, and it is the only piece of art that we have, right now, that is meant to be a permanent piece,” said general manager Elise Tyler.
Tyler wanted something that highlighted the history of the iconic inn, but more-so, something that underscored the history and landmarks of the town.
“Her art was the only thing that I’ve ever seen that ties so many things together really beautifully and has the backdrop to history,” said Tyler.
From her authentic love of the community, to reaching a new pinnacle in her career, Apex has nurtured her. It is hard to imagine that in September, Wolfgang said farewell to the town that inspired her.
Fueled by faith and love, Wolfgang returned to the Keystone State to care for a family member.
In the seven years she was here, Wolfgang left a legacy that will enrich local communities for decades to come.
“Her work allowed us to have such happy closure. It was a delight to see our memories valued and immortalized. Through Jane’s art, we felt more connected with our lovely community of Apex,” said Olivia Beardsley.
Wolfgang works on a piece during her last few weeks at her Apex studio.
“I think she’s doing an incredible thing,” said Tyler. “We hired her as an artist, but she has become a friend. We have a boutique hotel, so she always has a home here.”
Wolfgang will be in town the second weekend in October for the grand opening of the Colonial Inn, where she will be signing prints of the new mural. She also hopes to visit often, especially for the annual Apex PeakFest.
“I just want to say thank you. I’m so grateful and, hopefully, I’ll be back,” she said. “I’d like to think I left a piece of me here, that I left my mark. I know I’m leaving a piece of my heart.”
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