Category Archives: Art

MOSS Painting

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This is my first painting for 2015.  Can you tell I’m already thinking of spring?  🙂

Moss by Janell Mithani

Moss, acrylic on canvas, 24″ x 24″

I’ve been thinking a lot about the “WHY” I paint what I paint lately.  I’ve always loved fairies and nature.  I grew up out in the country and spent a good share of my childhood, hiking in the woods.  In my paintings, I reflect on those moments and feel that my feminine characters draw strength from the trees, wind, and nature that surrounds them.   One of the things that inspires me the most, is the strong stillness I feel when I am alone and surrounded by nature.

“Moss is a feminine character who draws her strength from the moss-covered trees that surround her. She came to me in my dreams, found her way into my sketchbook and inspired me to paint her with one of her beloved trees.”

Have a wonderful, creative day, Janell

My Week Flew By…

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We had a great time at our art gallery reception last week and time has flown by so fast, I forgot to do my weekly post!  I am still working on getting the pictures downloaded and posted to my blog, and I will share them soon.  Since I don’t have any new art this week, I thought I would share a funny story that happened to me a few weeks ago while I was putting away all my art and supplies after exhibiting in a Saturday art walk…

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I was pretty tired when I returned home, so I waited until Sunday morning to unpack my van.

I left one of the french doors open (as I often do when I am painting) while I was loading everything back into my studio that is in our back garden.  About half way through unloading,  I walked into the studio with an arm-load full and found a little bird had flown in and was flying in circles around my studio.

I immediately dropped everything and started frantically running around the studio opening the windows and popping out the screens as I was so worried he would fly into a window or screen and hurt himself.  I tried everything to help him find the door!  I quickly opened the other french door so he would have a large open area to fly out, but he seemed to have forgetten how he came in.  I tried shooing him, going outside and calling him (Like he was going to come to me like a dog! HA!.)  I pointed at the door a hundred times, but he just didn’t seem to listen!  I am sure he was as panicked as I was and I was so afraid he was going to hurt himself before I could help him get outside.  I even had to duck a couple of times as he flew straight at me. (Could be my bright red hair was an attraction?)  He was so clever, I got him to land on the end of my ruler, my hand, a paintbrush, the end of a broom, but then he would fly back into the studio every time I got close to an open door or window.

After about thirty LONG minutes,  he decided to hide between a blanket that was draped over a chair and we both calmed down a bit.  After I caught my breath, I gently scooped him into the bottom of my shirt and headed towards the open french doors.  When I got close to the door, he flew off and landed on the door frame and then hopped out onto the porch.  A second later, he turned his head to look at me (I swear he raised his eyebrow) and then flew off into our lemon tree.  I watched him for a few minutes to make sure he was OK, he seemed to be fine, and then he flew off to the telephone wire to hang out with his buddies.

Whew! What a bizarre, worry-some few moments!

OK… I am laughing about it now and thinking how funny I must have looked running around while this little bird was flying around the top of my studio.  And I probably made it worse by running around to open all the doors and windows.  I am not sure what kind of bird it was. (Where were all my bird watching friends when I needed them!)  But I think it was a wren.  Possibly a house wren?  Because he flew into my “house”? 🙂

Have a wonderful,  creative day!

Janell

 

 

What Inspires you

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One of the biggest inspirations for my art is my garden.  I love spending time gardening, painting and just sitting and observing what is happening outside my studio.  I just love the tiny bright red blooms on the plants just outside my door.  They seem so soft and fragile.  I image little fairy’s snuggling among them for an afternoon nap.

garden with birdhouse photograph by Janell Mithani

I am also inspired by yellow and purple color combinations, lately.  The bright yellow is so cheery next to the light purple of the lavender.

Photograph of lavendar and daisy by Janell Mithani

So… What inspires you?

Have a wonderful, creative day, Janell

A Meloncholy Sketch

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I’ve been sketching some more and I just began working on another painting.  This sketch seems a little melancholy and her eyes seem a bit sad.  Hmm… possibly due to the fact that my daughter is heading back to college next week…all they way in Chicago?  I know she will have a great year, but I can’t help thinking of how much I will miss her.  It is interesting how my thoughts and emotions seem to be expressed in the characters I draw.

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Well, I am going to think about all the Skype sessions, emails, texts and phone calls we will share while she is away.  That should cheer me up!  Thank goodness for technology. 🙂

Have a wonderful, creative day, Janell

A Tree Fairy Painting on Austrailian Paper Bark

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I love painting tree fairies and I have been experimenting with painting them on the bark of the Australian paper bark, Melaleuca quinquenervia trees.  We have a lot of them here in Southern California.  I love the organic shapes and the textures and feel painting on a natural piece of bark fits with my art.  The paper-like bark peels right off of the trees and it doesn’t hurt the tree to harvest the bark.

Tree fairy painting on paper bark tree

This is an ancient art tradition of the Aboriginal people of Australia.  They created wonderful dot paintings, often times telling the stories of their dreams.  I found out about this style of art a few years ago when I was researching the art of different countries to teach in my art workshops for teens. It is still a popular art style, and I found many beautiful paintings on the internet.  It has also become one of my most popular summer workshops.

I posted the sketch of my tree fairy a few weeks ago.  The tree bark can be really smooth on the back side, but I really liked the front side of this piece of bark.  Since it had a lot of texture, I decided to re-create my sketch to size, cut it out, and glue it to the bark as a beginning for the painting.  I also applied a coat of gel to seal and smooth out the bark.

Applying gel to the piece

I attached the bark to my easel with a clip and began painting.  I love the light  in this picture.  I have a wonderful south-facing skylight that lights my easel over my left shoulder.  It was my husbands idea when we built the studio and I just love it.

Bark painting and sketch on easel

Here is a picture of the piece against my wood floor.   I wanted to see different colors behind it.

Fairy bark painting against wood flooring

Now I need to figure out how to present and frame it. Hmmm….

Any ideas would be much appreciated!  🙂

Have a wonderful, creative day, Janell

 

Poppies for Jazz

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I just finished a painting for my daughter.  She is returning to college in Chicago in a few weeks, and will be sharing an apartment instead of living in the dorms.  She wanted a painting of poppies to remind her of home in sunny California.  So… “Poppies for Jazz” it is!

Painting of poppies by Janell Mithani

I painted a good portion of the piece at the Montrose Art Walk in July.  I always like to work on a painting in my booth when I do art fairs.

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Here is my progress at the art fair…

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Then it sat on my easel in the studio for a few weeks while I finished up my July art workshops.

Here is another look at the finished painting.  I love it so much I am making prints of it to sell at my next art walk in September.

Painting of poppies by Janell Mithani

So glad I had time to paint today!  🙂

Have a wonderful, creative day, Janell