As a young child I delighted in spending many hours drawing figures and thinking of stories about them as I drew. My passion for drawing continued as I illustrated reports for classes and began painting with oils.
I still delight in drawing and it is the foundation for my paintings. After exploring painting in oil, watercolor, pastel and the making of original prints such as lithographs, etchings and monotypes, I found watercolor to be the most exciting for me. I am challenged by the unexpected qualities and the varieties of use of the medium.
My paintings are a response to what I see around me and the memories that are awakened. I’m especially captivated by clear glass and the abstractions and reflections that happen. I paint many clear glass objects, plus other items my Dad found on his outings to second hand stores. Many memorable things have been handed down in our families and appear in my paintings. The still life offers me the ability to create and control a vision of the world around me. Compositions are endless and always interesting.
I begin a painting with several objects in mind and a small compositional sketch. I prefer painting from the physical arrangement rather than working from a photograph. I bring these objects and others to my studio and begin to build the composition. It may require days to assemble or it may fall into place readily, but when I am satisfied with the arrangement, I do a full size line drawing on tracing paper. The finished drawing is transferred to the watercolor paper. After that the joy of painting begins. The paintings speak to the past, the present and the future. Every piece of the painting has a story to tell and I love to tell it.
© 2009 Janice Sayles
Website
http://www.janicesayles.com