Fine Art
If I happen upon a wildflower or a salamander while I’m outside, something shifts. I feel both connected to and awed by the moment. I love that feeling and it is similar to a feeling I get sometimes at museums. I have been exploring the recreation of that pop of surprise mixed with presence in my work. Some of these paintings have an element of realism added specifically as a nod to that experience.
Janet Stoeke is a full time artist living in Fairfax, VA. She paints to stay sane.
So far, I think that what looks like a backward step (painting somewhat realistically again) might really be a breakthrough for me. I paint things again (trees, sky, snow on leaves) but without the “copy-what-you-see” feel. I go out, walk around, and bring home some hopeful colors, using my memory, and my phone if I …
For some time, I responded badly to viewers who saw something in my abstracts that I hadn’t intended. Those paintings were known to them as “the one with Donald Duck up in the corner” or the “bathtub one,” which could get me kind of cranky. Despite my painting over the offensive found-realism, the paintings remained …
It’s a worry, for someone like me, to have boatloads of time. When the pandemic hit, I was very uneasy. But for some reason, I have been lucky. I’ve channeled it into 48 paintings so far. I think of this windfall as a fairly magical occurrence. I am well aware of the many possibilities, and …