The Dooryard Gallery--Janet Roberts

"I paint in a somewhat traditional and realistic manner, but am constantly mindful of the abstract armature that is so
important as a foundation. I also am aware of the importance of mark-making on the canvas surface—these marks must
be able to stand alone, thereby giving purpose to their existence. I delight in small areas of visual drama—those pieces of
the whole, which might be thought of as a sentence within a novel.

"Born in 1944, I grew up in that post-war period which gave rise to people eager to embrace optimism and beauty. Walt
Disney was the reigning king of this culture, and Technicolor the magic wand that waved a wash of surreal beauty over
the movie screens. In this seductive environment I had the seeds of art planted in my consciousness

"I majored in fine arts at Indiana University, and with my first oil painting course knew I was spiritually “home”, and have
used oil as my primary medium to this day. Whether I paint landscapes, still lives, or, most recently, oil and collage, I seek
a sense of mystery and story, and find that many elements from my personal history find their way into my paintings.

"In my collages, I combine my love of and fascination with antiques, old photographs and letters, with painting, and pull all
these elements together into creating what I think of as a one act play."