Janet Grissom feels at peace when holding a paintbrush in her hand. “I find strength buried in the mounds of paint like the mounds of earth at my feet,” she says. “Standing silent in my garden with endless plants pushing through the ground, my life brightened from the gloom of winter to the brilliant hope of spring. I walked from the new colors of my garden to the growing intensity of the parks. The foliage, more lush and brilliant than I had ever seen in an Ohio spring, begged me to visit again and again. Winter had felt fearfully unsurpassable. Every plant that I saw moving in the breeze found its way to my canvas.”
Blades of Color, oil on canvas, 30 x 30"
An image that reveals the artist’s life energy is more important to Grissom than creating a likeness of reality. “The birth of spring was different this year causing me to focus on the seeds and blooms in my hand,” she says. “I had to look away from the landscape to see the growth at my fingertips. I had felt this same energy when I stepped away from my life patterns to paint in Europe and in Mexico. The same enthusiasm came to me with a newness of vision as my winter struggles passed.”
Morning Whiteness, oil on canvas, 30 x 30"
Grissom finds comfort and inspiration in the natural world. “I understand that it is the landscape that offers life to the plants growing from my canvas,” she says. “I want the viewer of my paintings to feel the energy, the movement and the colors of the moment that I hold.”
Moving with Nature, oil on canvas, 36 x 36"
Grissom will be showing her work in Strokes of Color, an Ohio State University faculty exhibition in Columbus, Ohio, from October 2 through December 19, with an opening reception on October 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. Visit www.ohio-statefacultyclub.com for details. —
Want to See More?
www.janetgrissompaintings.com
(614) 218-7985
Instagram: @janet_grissom
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