Janet Grissom is more concerned with capturing how she feels about what she sees than painting a perfect likeness of it. How she feels about what she sees dictates the colors she chooses and her painting style, as does the subject itself. She attributes her versatility to having been an art teacher—and student of art—for many years which required her to practice all manners of technique.
In an upcoming show at the Ohio State University Faculty Club titled Strokes of Color, Grissom presents 25 new works that demonstrate her wide range of styles and subject matter—and her commitment to communicating her emotions through paint.
Known primarily for her highly textural florals and landscapes, Grissom’s recent work has taken an exciting turn into the architectural realm and explores the interconnectedness between people, structures and the natural world.
Piercing the Darkness, oil on canvas, 48 x 36"
Piercing the Darkness depicts a steeple rising through impressionistic treetops reminiscent of low-lying mist amid quaint village homes, a scene she saw on a dark day in Nantucket near dusk. After a long, difficult winter, the sight lifted her spirits. “It was that vision of hope, that even in the darkest times, that darkness can be pierced with the light,” she says. Grissom photographed and sketched the scene and tried to hold it in her mind’s eye until she could get it down on canvas.
Despite her intrigue with rooftops and structures, rural and urban, Grissom, who grew up on an Ohio farm, still finds her main source of inspiration in the natural world.
Rest with Nature, oil on canvas, 48 x 60"
Her piece Resting with Nature is rendered in thick, highly textural strokes out of which emerges a landscape alive with movement and color.
Grissom explains, “Landscapes are the place I feel most peaceful—being out in nature and painting them…being able to express those feelings on canvas. It is such a comfortable feeling. When I’m tired I can always rest there.”
Grissom will give an artist talk at the faculty club on Tuesday, November 15 from 3:45 to 5 pm. Contact Kayla Holdgreve at kaylasuzanneh@gmail.com for purchase inquiries. —
Ohio State University Faculty Club 181 South Oval Drive Columbus, OH 43210 • (614) 292-2262 www.janetgrissompaintings.com
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