Meet the Winner: Jane Weiner

Apparently, it’s all in the genes. Jane Weiner, a nail tech at Gloss Salon in Asbury Park, N.J., won this year’s competition handily, despite having no formal art training. “Almost all of my family members are fine artists of some type. I definitely learned a lot from all of them,” says Weiner, who spent about three hours completing Lichtenstein’s “Kiss V.”

“I actually did four other Lichtenstein paintings on tips prior to this one so I could get his style down before taking on ‘Kiss V,’ which was the painting I really wanted to do,” she says. “The hardest part was the dots. They took me about half an hour in total, and I had to take a lot of breaks. I used a short nail art brush that I modified by cutting off most of the bristles to make a very short, small surface that was more flexible than a toothpick or a dotting tool. After I picked up paint, I would tap off on a paper towel several times to avoid getting too many large dots on the finished piece.”

Weiner — who has been doing nails for about year — keeps examples of her nail art in frames right next to her station, inspiring clients who may not have previously thought about nail art to get an accent nail or two. “Nail art is definitely a true fine art form, and I love being a ‘miniature’ part of the art world,” she says.

This gallery shows you Weiner's winning nail, as well as those of NAILS' other finalists.

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