The year 2020 pushed oil painter Janet Grissom in a direction she has never traveled, each day a new challenge the artist tried to turn into an adventure. She started walking daily, and “during my walks, my mind was freed by searching for phenomenal colors and forms found in the common environments that would become my repeated paths for the next year.” Each time she returned to her studio library, she found books with interesting information relating to what she observed on the walk.
Touch of Gold, oil on canvas, 36 x 48"
“My thought process was changing,” says Grissom. “In several paintings the trees, rocks and water took on new varying colors and forms. I became truly aware of the subtle changes in the local color. Perhaps this occurred partially from this new understanding of the present and partially from applying new information relating to memories of my past travels. At times, I found my mind back in the colorful Tuscany hills, in Provence with Van Gogh or the coolness of the Canadian coastal waters.”
She continues, “The Mexican rain forest was especially alive while studying wild foliage on my walks…I found waterfalls as I searched for new paths to stimulate my days. My mind returned to rhythmic East Coast shores. My body was prohibited from travel, but my brain had found a way.”
Coastal Waters, oil on canvas, 16 x 24"
Tuscany View, oil on canvas, 24 x 18"
The pandemic allowed her to move beyond herself and all of the daily chores and necessities—into a place of solitude. This has allowed Grissom to focus on her experiences and feelings as she works on her paintings, rather than just the technical image. —
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Represented by Brandt Roberts Galleries
642 N. High Street | Columbus, OH 43215
www.brandtrobertsgalleries.com
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