the janelle vano studio blog

Fagan's Cross on The Road to Hana~ honeymoon snapshot turned into art

This is the image that was scanned and emailed to me...

And this is their new custom piece of artwork...

  

-j

Send me an email if you'd like information on commissioning your own custom piece of artwork. 

Honeymoon snapshot...becomes piece of Art

I was chatting with a close friend of mine recently and mentioned how I've had this idea for a while....I'd love to take regular snapshots from honeymoons and create pieces of art! They don't have to be the best pictures in the world, with the best coloring, or perfectly cropped because all those things can be adjusted in the painting process. 

So, we went over and opened my friend's honeymoon photo album and found a great shot...it was taken from the balcony of their hotel room in ITALY. It really was a beautiful picture, but even more than that, it was an image that could instantly take them both back to that balcony...to that moment in time...to the beginning of their marriage. All I had to do...recreate it as an amazing piece of art!

When I was finished, my friend brought the painting out to show her husband (who didn't know anything about my little project) and he instantly recognized it...then suggested they open a bottle of wine, snuggle up on the couch together, and watch their wedding video :) 

That was possibly the best complement to my work that I could have heard!

The painting has been framed and hung. It's always fun for me to see my work (art or photography) framed and hung in a home...it's like they've been dressed and they're finally complete. 

 

 

 
Would you like to commission your own piece of honeymoon artwork? Just send me an email and we can discuss the details.  
 

-j

Greta's Mural...cherry blossom tree

This is going to be a special little corner for an extra special little girl! Here's the 'before' picture...

A 'middle' picture....

My pre-work sketch...

And now 'finished'...

with the lights on...

the little robin's nest...

Sabrina stood in the corner and said "It really feels like you're under a tree!"....so fun! Hope Greta enjoys it too!

-j

My fine art photography

Last August, I was invited to be part of a photography show at The Park Place Gallery. I'm still extremely excited about it since it's the first time my work has been displayed in a gallery! On my way to the show, I had no idea what to expect; I wasn't sure anyone would be interested in the photos that I'd chosen to display and I thought I'd be taking the photographs home with me at the end of the night. Well, I learned something about art that night: that people actually LIKE pieces that are personal to the artist and have a story to accompany them! For some reason, I always thought that art had be 'neutral' to be enjoyed by others. I also found out that my work could stay up for a while. I thought they'd just stay through the holidays, but they're still up...and they can stay as long as the gallery employees keep hearing positive comments from their clients and the pieces keep selling...woohoo!

I stopped by the other day to take some pictures of my pictures. They've done a little rearranging in the gallery and now all 5 of my remaining pieces are hanging together, next to the restroom, on the darkest little wall in the entire place. But I don't even mind that much....they're in the gallery!!! The day I took these, they said that they were going to make lighting adjustments soon; I hope that they have because the one at the top is actually VERY beautiful (heard many great things about it the night of the show), but you really can't appreciate it in the dark.

I'm hoping to find the time to create some other artwork soon...pencil, watercolor, or acrylic...and maybe they can hang in the gallery as well. That would be SO AMAZING!

So, if you happen to be around 117th & Nall in Leawood, KS...stop by the gallery and take a look around. 

 

-j

Frank's mural...finished

Here are some pictures from a couple days ago....

And what do you do when you want to listen to the ipod while painting, but don't have pockets??? You get creative :) Sabrina was cracking up at me and had to take a picture!

And here's the finished mural...

It actually turned out darker than I originally planned, but I think it looks great with his dark wood furniture. I'll go back in a couple days, after my eyes have had a little break, and take a fresh look. Sometimes, I see little details I still need to work on after I think a project is done...I am a perfectionist :)

My favorite part...I love how warm and velvety the distant grasses look!

-j

Frank's Mural...Day One

I'm so excited about this job! While trying to decide what should be painted in this western themed room, the mom said "Well, we love Colorado. My husband's always saying 'Look at the prairie grasses!' and I'm always looking at the mountains." So, I went online and started googling Colorado mountain images and found the PERFECT picture...beautiful mountains and prairie grasses. I love that it's not only the perfect combination of what the parents like, but it also fits the western theme, will not interfere with the room arrangement (the prairie grasses go from the floor to about 6 inches above the bed posts), and it's also time and ageless! Frank is 3.5 years old right now and I really wanted to do something that he wouldn't outgrow. 

Here's the room before getting started

First thing....lots of preparation: heavy furniture pushing, paint mixing, initial sketching, and measuring. 

Thanks, Sabrina, for taking these next photos! 

Love my little purse ruler/calculator...always with me :)

Heading back tomorrow morning....

-j

Adding a little detail

I love the variety in my life!

Here are some pictures of a little cowboy's room; I added the wood posts, tufts of grass, and barbed wire details.

Feel free to contact me if you're interested in having any mural work done.

-j