About Janette
Rockport, MA - holding a large bag of candy…..
I'm a Brit who landed in a small town in the Boston suburbs when my husband's work brought us to the USA in 2010. I found myself with lots of time on my hands and soon after I discovered painting.
I attended a few local classes and took various workshops around the country in order to gain a better understanding of this new passion, establishing a daily painting routine which continues today. I spend a minimum of five hours a day in the studio.
I paint in oils and many of the subjects I paint are a large part of my life; seascapes are a natural draw to me, having always lived close to the sea since childhood, spending many hours watching the waves and clouds roll in. My flower paintings are a reflection of my years as a florist as I worked with the most beautiful flowers gaining a full understanding of each of their structures. I’m also a keen gardener and have enjoyed creating my lovely English garden here in the USA. When it comes to landscape painting, I always try to incorporate a cloud formation, I find clouds so enjoyable to paint. I would often spend time as a child looking for a “picture” or a “face” in the clouds….I still like to look up and see if there is a story up there.
For me, painting is a journey of joy and discovery, triumphs and failures, with something to learn in it all. There are moments of "effortlessness", when it feels like your very soul is working with the brush, and the finished piece feels as though it just painted itself. Those moments are the best! Thirteen years after arriving in the USA, my life as a professional artist keeps me very busy. I have met and connected with some lovely people either through a sale, a commission or one of my classes. I love the new life I have built for myself!
Doesn’t everyone read at the bottom of the stairs?
I’ve always been an avid reader and a big coffee drinker….although I take my coffee so weak you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s hot beige milk!
On my Instagram account in highlights I have some great recommendations for “art reads”, mainly biographies but some also touch on practice and technique too.
Today, I feel very fortunate to work out of my studio in Sherborn, Massachusetts. My plan going forward is simply to continue my growth as an artist and enjoy the endless journey.
“My aim with each painting is to present the viewer with an almost “photographic” image when viewing my paintings from a distance, then on closer inspection, enjoy the loose expressive brushstrokes that make up the painting” Janette
Where to see my work in person:
My studio by appointment
Hearthstone Home, Interior Design & Gifts , Needham, MA
Sherborn Gallery & Gifts, Sherborn, MA
The gallery wall at the Medspa @ Texture Salon, Medfield MA
Awards and Shows:
Nov/Dec 2022
AFCC “Deck the walls” holiday show - Invited artist - 2 pieces - cutlery 12x12 & Pet Portrait 10 x 10 (open amount of sales)
Summer 2022
AFCC “Prelude to Summer” Show - Invited artist - piece “peaches & cream” 11 x 14 - SOLD
Nov/Dec 2021
AFCC “Deck the walls” holiday show - Invited artist - piece “a dance at twilight” 12 x 16 - SOLD
Summer 2021
AFCC “Prelude to summer” exhibition - Invited artist - piece - “Rolling On” 11 x 14 - SOLD
2018
Art Muse Contest, November 2018 Merit Award, awarded by organizers (Kim VanDerHoek and Kelley Sanford)
“This is a special award chosen by Kim VanDerHoek and Kelley Sanford for an artist whose work did not receive an award from the judge but they feel merits recognition”
Piece entered - Emerald Sea 20 x 20
2017
Art Muse Contest, Emerging Artist Finalist, November 2017 awarded by Lori Putnam
This piece has a good use of color, line, texture and edges. The space is well designed and nicely drawn. The artist has used cools and warms in both the lights and the shadows making the painting feel more alive and natural. Lori Putnam
Lori Putnam's comment about my painting "Birch"
Jack Meier Gallery chosen finalist, November 2017 Art Muse Contest
"Birch" chosen by Jack Meier Gallery to be entered for a Gallery Representation Award Competition. My work will also be included in the annual Art Muse/Jack Meier Gallery Exhibition in early 2018.
2016
Art Muse Contest, Finalist, January 2016, awarded by Ken DeWaard
Great sense of air and light as well as values in this painting, very natural and believable!
Ken DeWaard
Ken DeWaard's comment about my painting "November Dawn"
Art Muse Contest, Finalist, June 2016, awarded by Lori Putnam
"Reality with notes of abstraction are perfect for a subject such as this. As a viewer, I am immediately struck by the lights and shadows, particularly in the fruits in the foreground. But what is also interesting, and what keeps me looking and searching about, are those areas that are not fully described. The balance of both “fully rendered” and “only suggested” is just one of the strong points of this piece. Another is the appropriate use of warm, orange tones in some of the leaves, and cool violet colors reflected from the sky. Those two, subtle choices, provide color harmony. Otherwise, the greens might appear too strong in contrast to the reds and pinks, and the sky too blue against the yellows and oranges."
Lori Putnam
Lori Putnam's comment on my painting "Orchard view"
2013
Gallery Show, Schwamb Mill, Arlington, MA
2012
Spring Show, Concord Art Association - piece sold
2011
Fall Show - Student & Teacher Show, Concord Art Association - SOLD
Memberships/Associate Memberships
American Impressionists Society
American Women Artists
Oil Painters of America
The Guild of Boston Artists
Arts Foundation of Cape Cod