ABOUT THE ARTIST

Since childhood, I have always loved art, both appreciating and creating it! My life's journey has led me in many directions, but  I always find myself gravitating to portraiture and wildlife. My love of animals and capturing their unique, individual personalities and essences is what inspires my art!

“The artwork of our dog is so life-like that I just want to reach out and pet him. Janell is a superior artist. I love her work - worth every penny!”

-Christine Vose, OR

“WOW !! Janelle did a incredible  job on my siamese !!Amazing artist !!

-Adrianna Lopez, NV

”TALENTED X100! I Couldn’t be happier!”

-VickiAnn Manson, NH

Though graphite, pastel and colored pencils offer ease of portability and crisp detailing, I have used many different media, including charcoal, acrylics, oils, watercolors, and pastels. I believe that working in a single medium is restrictive to my artistic process. Each idea manifests in its own individual style.

I enjoy wonderful literature and learning about art, music, animals, science, history, and philosophy in my spare time. Many of my pieces are directly influenced by these subjects. My irreverent sense of humor sometimes manifests in a particular fondness for whimsy and irony in my artwork. 

Pet photos are more engaging when taken at the level of the animal. Outdoor settings can be especially lovely, provided there’s no glare from direct sunlight! We tend to photograph pets from above, looking down on them. This is aesthetically unflattering and can cause an awkward foreshortening distortion which translates particularly poorly into non-photographic artwork. Also, image clarity is key!  I‘m an experienced artist and, while I can often intuit some features that may not be clearly visible in some photos, I’m not a magician, so the better the photo, the better the portrait!  Most importantly,  choose a photo that captures the person or animal’s unique personality!