Jane Park’s life changed forever in July 2021.
At that time, her ten-month-old daughter, Grace, was rushed to hospital after suffering from seizures and brain swelling.
Grace was eventually diagnosed with refractory epilepsy, and the brain damage she suffered required around-the-clock care. Suddenly, Park went from 15-year LPGA Tour veteran to a full-time caregiver, along with her husband Pete.
In the years since Grace’s diagnosis, Park has taken to social media to document the sadness, frustration and small victories of Grace’s journey. She returned to play a final tournament on the LPGA Tour, the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, in 2023, and later that year received the LPGA’s Heather Farr Perseverance Award. In 2022, Pete started caddying for Hye-Jin Choi, who finished second twice this year and sits sixth on the CME points list heading into this week’s season finale.
Park isn’t in Naples, Florida this week, but her paintings are, which is mighty impressive considering Park didn’t pick up a paintbrush until February of this year.
In honor of the LPGA’s 75th anniversary, Park has created original commemorative artwork that will be used for a variety of purposes, including giveaways and as gifts with ticket purchases.
“We were looking for a creative way to celebrate the end of our 75th anniversary season,” said Christina Lance, LPGA communications director. “Jane’s art caught our attention and we enjoyed the connection with a former player.”
Park turned to painting as an “escape,” she said, and honed her style in the most recognizable ways.
“Nowadays you can learn everything on YouTube,” she told me with a laugh earlier this week. “I looked up simple landscaping, pictures that I could draw, and there are a lot of tutorials online that teach you step by step how to mix colors and what brushes to use. And it was a really great thing for me to discover, just so I could kind of shut off my brain and just literally do something that’s step by step. And the final creation is often very beautiful. So I really enjoyed the process and just learned more about color theory and feeding my brain with something else.”
In January, the LPGA will formally celebrate its 75th year with a pro-am at Pebble Beach, where Park’s artwork will be auctioned with proceeds benefiting the LPGA Foundation.
Park used a molding medium on canvas for the green background of each piece, and acrylic paint. She divided the 75 years of the LPGA into four different time frames, with notable players representing each era.
“Obviously there are some very recognizable figures in golf, and I actually chose a reference photo that might have significant shadows because it makes the figure pop off the canvas,” Park said. “It was really hard to choose the ones I made because there are so many.”
For Park, making art has improved her life in previously unforeseen ways.
“It gave me a way to connect with people on the outside, more than just talking about my daughter’s disability,” she said. “But I also like to paint things for people, so that they feel seen.”
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