Artist Statement

As an interdisciplinary artist, I focus on incorporating a profound multicultural and historical aesthetic, and an ecofeminist spirit within my art. Using paint, pastel, and recycled materials on canvas or wood substrates, I create art that revolves around women, children, and our natural environment. Recently, I have explored a more textualized and sculptural relief, conveying the inner feminist universal and spiritual awareness of women through time and space.

Years ago, my Pakistani mother-in-law introduced me to the daily tea ritual, which me and my family adopted. After my mother passed away five years ago, I started creating paintings on tea bags which progressed into small visual, sculptural relief pieces which are an exciting development after working two dimensionally throughout my career. Although I paint many subjects, I was drawn to the iconic dress, which also celebrates the hours my grandmother, mom, and aunts spent “tending” with their hands. My current body of work, “Dresses, Reflections of Past and Present,” focuses on exploring visual storytelling, reflecting my complex thoughts on gender equality, women’s roles, past and present; and how women’s health and rights are evolving throughout my lifespan. The pieces have become more complex, slow to take form: emptying tea bags, adding paint and natural plant dyes, slow stitching, forming shapes with wire, and feeding my garden with the used tea leaves. 

©Janell Mithani 2025