Janette qualified from Art School in Manchester in the 1980s with a Degree in Communication Design and has been a practising graphic designer for over 25 years, working for high-profile London design agencies before setting up her own design agency. She has since left commercial graphics behind and is now a professional artist and art tutor.

Read more

Her career influences her work as a graphic designer, which is intrinsically woven into her painting style. She naturally flattens a scene, breaking it down into individual elements representing the contents through pattern, texture, feeling and colour. The devil is in the detail; what appears to be a simple landscape reveals a patchwork of intense painted detail. Each mark has its own life, identity and space. The longer you look, the more you see. She explores being uplifted, to pause, to feel, to induce a moment of contentment and peace.

She works in acrylic on canvas, preferring to work in larger formats. She paints to reflect a sense of the subject matter. She explores finishes, overlaying colours, and removing sections for depth and interest. Originally from the North, her landscapes depict both her heritage and experiences, places visited, and images that inspire. She now works from her studio at home and teaches art part-time.

“I explore visited experiences and memories. I like to portray the feeling of contemplation and to evoke an emotion. What makes you smile, experience contentment or create friction? The subject matter is deconstructed, flattened and then reconstructed again into spaces of colour, feeling and pattern. I love the tension of a straight line in contrast to the texture contained within its given confinement. The control comes with tight edges; my freedom comes in experimenting with the depth of the pattern and connecting forms.” Janette Ralph