"First Light" Painting

Janet’s work seeks to evoke emotion and awaken personal memories through a distinctive use of colour, movement, and painterly expression. Her abstract paintings are shaped by impressions of her physical surroundings, intertwined with life experiences, memories, feelings, and music. Together, these influences form works that are intuitive, immersive, and emotionally resonant.

Her semi-abstract landscapes are most often rooted in sketches and watercolours created en plein air. Drawing directly from life is a vital part of her process, not only as a visual reference, but as a way of absorbing and recording the atmosphere, light, and mood of a place at a specific moment in time. This first-hand engagement with the landscape allows her to fully inhabit the scene within its natural environment. These initial studies are later reinterpreted in the studio as large-scale oil paintings, using bold colour, energetic brushwork, and layered textures to convey both the essence and emotion of the original experience.

Janet has always worked fluidly across watercolour, pen and ink, and oil. When her lighter, more transparent techniques are translated into oil on canvas, the work retains the same sense of movement and luminosity, creating a watery, translucent quality within a traditionally dense medium.

Janet studied at Central Saint Martins School of Art & Design in London, UK, before embarking on an extensive 30-year career in the design and interiors industry. During this time, she specialised in colour schemes, decorative accessories, and artwork, travelling widely to discover artisans and source unique pieces for her clients. This international experience has given her both a practical and aesthetic understanding of the art and design world, which continues to inform her own practice.

When Janet returned fully to her first love of drawing and painting, she continued to collaborate closely with interior designers on commissioned artworks for properties around the world. Her work has featured predominantly in large-scale private residential projects internationally.