Peek Into The Art Of Janet Hill Studios

June 29, 2009

Peek Into The Art Of Janet Hill Studios

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

-Pablo Picasso

I have been admiring the art of Janet from Janet Hill Studios for some time now. I love the subjects of her paintings and her use of color and light is amazing.

I had the privilege of interviewing her recently. I hope you love getting to know her and her process. I know I did.

Janet is also wanting to give away one of her prints.

Every comment will be put in the drawing. A winner will be chosen on Wednesday.

The winner will receive this print "The Sunday Picnic".

At what point in your life did you acknowledge or accept that you truly were an artist?

I had a hard time with pursuing art initially. When I was trying to decide what university programs I should apply for, I was torn between life science (I had wanted to go into medicine) or fine art. At the time,I had a great art teacher who helped me produce a good portfolio and when I got into the tiny fine art program at my favourite university, I decided to really give it a go. Afterall, although I enjoyed biology, I hated math so it seemed like the easier route for me.

Where do you draw your inspiration?

I draw inspiration from everything- books, blogs, magazines, and movies. Particularly films though.

How long have you been painting and how has your artistic process changed over the years?

I've been painting since my last year of high school, so about 17 years. Yikes! My artistic process has changed quite a lot. I think I've gotten lazier. I used to spend a lot of time staring at my work and rethinking pieces through, but due to the nature of my paintings now, I just paint and try not to think about it. I think when you spend a lot of time examining your work, it can wreck it.

Who are some artists that influence or inspire you?

One of my painting professors told me that I was a bad student and would turn out to be a bad artist because I didn't spend much time looking at other artists work and as a result, I was painting with blinders on. I find it rather funny now that I'm a full-time artist, so maybe her theory wasn't right. Sometimes it may be best just to do your own thing. I haven't gotten any better really at exploring others work. Although, I do appreciate Frida Kahlo's work, John Singer Sargent, and Ross Bleckner. Three completely different artists.

Do you work from home or do you have a studio outside your home? How are you able to balance family life with your art?

I work from home. In a tiny laundry room type space (actually the washer and dryer are in there with me). The light is good, so I make due with the tiny room. I dream of putting on an addition to my little cottage that would have a large studio space. In terms of balancing family life, there are some benefits to working out of the laundry room because I can do loads of laundry as I paint!