Artist Janis Sanders is known for his paintings of “big blue skies” and depictions of isolated homes and structures. For his show of new work hosted at Maine Art Hill in Kennebunk, Maine, Sanders explores his favored subject matter with a focus on Maine’s beautiful, coastal features. While the artist resides in Boston, he finds inspiration during his many travels.
“What attracts me is that the duality of this rugged landscape could easily exist for eons without people, and then you find these isolated homes,” Sanders explains. “In a way, it symbolizes the result of building a thing to withstand all the elements for years to come. A building in nature also raises questions like, ‘Who put this out here?’ or ‘Is it still in use as intended?’”
Sun & Roses, oil on panel, 36 x 36"
Sanders grew up in Syracuse, New York, surrounded by dairy farms and barns—a never-ending source of inspiration for someone captivated by architecture. “I used to take my camera and roam around,” Sanders shares. “I was fascinated by the texture of barnwood or the way a shadow would cut across a window.”
Besides being drawn to unique buildings, Sanders notes that his process is quite simple. “I don’t go out looking for a theme,” he says. “I end up painting something that stops me in my tracks—maybe while I’m driving. I’m not really out searching. Something may be so illuminated or evocative that it [really grabs me].”
Dancing Waters II, oil on panel, 24 x 24"
The series of new work also highlights Sanders evolving color palette. While still focusing on his blue skies, he employs a mix of additional colors and uses only two palette knives to achieve his spectacular views. “The skies are predominately blue, but I’ve added in some aquamarine, some pink and purplish blues,” he says. “I’m always thinking, ‘what’s going to happen if I put this color into the mix? I paint exclusively on board and I always go straight into the painting with my palette knife, never mixing off to the side. I’ve also been experimenting in this series by streaking a thin layer of paint across the board and thinning it out to create a glaze effect.”
Shallows & Sun, oil on panel, 40 x 40"
In works like Sun & Roses and Sunlit Shore, we see sister houses that were built close together—yet another trend in Sander’s repertoire—a similar scene in varying perspective. “This is on Bailey Island in the late afternoon light in June and there were beach roses in bloom,” he says. “Sunlight was streaking across the houses and I stopped to get a lot of reference photos.”
Shallows & Sunis another scene that shows up in Sander’s work. “I took more liberty in this piece than I normally do, with the intensity of the illumination on the tops of the trees,” he says, describing the foliage surrounding the secluded island house. “Some people do tight, realistic paintings, but I have to allow the latitude of artistic license. The color becomes an expression or symbol.”
Sunlit Shore, oil on panel, 24 x 24"
Overall, Sanders hopes that the new work expresses the “drama, beauty and magnitude of Maine,” he says, “and the way I’ve applied the paint, and in some instances, in new ways.”
The show of 20 paintings at Maine Art Hill will open August 19 and will be displayed through September 6. —
Maine Art Hill 14 Western Avenue Kennebunk, ME 04043 • (207) 967-2803 • www.maine-art.com
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