Featured Artist: Janell James!

*Remember Your Roots by Janell James 42×42″ Oil on Board*

Janell James. DYANMIC paintings! Some of her work is on multi-layered acrylic glass – which adds a modern day twist to an old technique from the 18th century. Many of Janell’s painting are large and really make an impact – don’t miss them!

Janell has an exhibition at Trove gallery in Park city, UT – Opening on February 23 (TONIGHT!!) from 6 to 9 PM. If you’re in the area, stop by! Keep up to date with Janell via her website and Instagram to check out other shows where you might see her work in person and have the opportunity to meet her!

See more of Janell’s work via these links:

Website | Instagram

Read a bit about Janell, from her website:

My paintings are an investigation of the intersection of traditional landscape imagery and modern ideas about painting and color. In my practice, I attempt to reconcile my personal history as an art-maker, as well as the tradition of landscape painting, with a contemporary art practice that borrows more specifically from a language of Modernism—specifically in regards to mid-century conversations about painting. Incidentally, both genres at work in my practice (abstraction and landscape) have a tradition of exploring ideas about the Sublime—Romantic and Modern—respectively.

While my subject matter draws heavily from landscape, my process and true exploration is about painting in a Modern sense. My brush strokes become objects that hold their own presence. The colors and layering I use both create the illusion of space and undermine it in the proverbial push-pull of abstract painting. The interplay between light and shadows cast upon the many layers ads to the sculptural interpretation while also creating ‘living’ paintings that appear kinetic, interacting with the natural environment. The purpose of the layering of a transparent painting surface is to raise the stakes; the points of depth are deeper and the points of flatness are flatter. The increased depth and complication of flipping the surface back and forth and layering it multiple times is a demonstration of the mastery of the material as well as a device to push the boundaries of the flatness/depth dichotomy in every painting. My paintings are at once paintings and sculptures and they are at once landscapes and quite the opposite of that—something acrylic and manufactured that is more reflective of contemporary culture.