Janet Christensen

The foundation for the imagery comes during walks on the farm in Kent County and early morning rows on the river, often before the sun breaches the horizon. This work is deeply personal, reflecting my relationship to sense of place. The pieces are the result of snapshots etched into memory and interpretation of feelings aroused by the color, light, shadow, texture and form. Often I want to stop time because the beauty, which is in the natural world at that instant, is so profoundly moving. Unable to impede the passage of time, the attempt is to recreate that moment in my studio, merging the intersection of reality and impression.

Encaustic pleases me, with its smells and finished surface, allowing me to build on previous experience working with watercolor and pastels. I appreciate that the viewer’s experience of the image may seem more intimate with the barrier of glass removed.