Charity Janisse

Finally finished! 💕🎨 I have been working the past two weeks to brighten this piece up and make it pop in a way I truly love!

I began this painting in April 2023 with a few tubes of paint I had in the house that fit the vibe I was going for close enough. Funds were tight at the time and I just wanted to paint something fresh. I remember my daughter coming downstairs asking what I was up to and I said I was going to paint, and she looked at colors and said “why this color palette?” Not negative just curious, especially as she knows me well and how much I like to paint with bold statement colors and these were much more muted with no real contrast. And only 4 colors when I like many more. And I said “these are the only tubes in the house full enough that can go together in one painting.” 🎨 She said something like “Mom that’s not how you start an artwork you know. ☺️ You intentionally choose colors you really love and know are right together and test a small sample see what it’s like when it’s dry and plan the work.” She said “the color palette is fine but you might not like as much when it’s done”. My response was “but I don’t want to wait till I have money and a vehicle to go to the store.” My car was not available till Sunday it was Tuesday. (: And I really wanted a new background for my YouTube channel and figured it would be a background piece so I wasn’t that worried about it. She said “ok have fun” 🤩 and went on her way. 

And I did, I had so much fun painting this one and the colors looked so pretty when they were wet, nothing exciting or dramatic but nice. I painted, took some wet paint pictures and videos shared and was happy enough. The next day when I woke up to look at the work I was disappointed… the colors had dried to very different paler shades and without the gloss of the wet paint the little bit of contrast when the colors were richer and shinier, was gone and the work felt very lackluster. The whole painting was fine enough, but rather one note. It was pretty… I think… but not me, not my style. My daughter was definitely right. 

I did not finish the painting I put it in the garage and did not think about it very much again. I don’t think I even have photos of what it looked like dry. And it stayed in the garage until a few weeks ago. I’m getting out many of my unfinished and/or forgotten pieces that just didn’t hit for me and I’m seeing what can be done with them. Which paintings will remain as they are, and which I want to try something different with. This one felt like there was potential to it. I showed my daughter again and talked about some ideas, maybe a color wash, or what I could do to turn the grayish purple intro something that pops. She had tons of great ideas and insight and advice for me. I’m so lucky to have a teen in the house who had been studying art very heavily since she was a small child. Watching tons of videos, trying so many techniques working on her art every single day. She started painting or drawing daily when she was big enough to hold a crayon and water color brush and has never stopped. No matter how tight money is, I keep that kid in art supplies. All my kids are super creative and incredibly talented honestly and all of them working on creative projects constantly, it’s wonderful.

I’ve also been painting since I was a kid but I paint for fun on a whim, spontaneously when I’m in the mood, mainly just to see what happens. Not a big planner. And sometimes I create something I absolutely love and sometimes I create something “nice” but not it, the way I felt about this one. And sometimes I create work that I put away or paint over later. It is what it is. ☺️

I felt like this painting would just stay forgotten so it didn’t hurt to experiment with techniques I’d never tried. I had nothing to lose. I started with a fluorescent pink wash just dove right in and it was so much fun. I took some little videos and shared on Instagram & FB. I didn’t know how I felt about how the wash came out, but the brighter work was more interesting and exciting for me already. Then I took a more brighter, happier shade of purple and carefully went all over every spot where I could find the paler purple, and that was also a blast. I painted very spontaneously and it was so relaxing to just sit and work and listen to a new album and repaint all the purple. 

After that the unfinished sides needed to be painted and I kind of messed up on those a bit because it had been so long since I’d painted this work I used a completely different technique. I did use the original color palette, that I didn’t remember and my daughter helped me pin point then I let it dry and did the pink wash and the purple highlights on the sides day before yesterday. Then as I had loved this piece most when it was still wet and glossy I put a pearlescent gloss finish on it. I was finally ready to photograph and share. I loved the way this came out and I definitely could never imagine forgetting it in storage again! My daughter and her friend were over and I showed it to them and they loved the piece too. I got out my top 8 choices that I need to narrow down to 5 for my exhibit and we all spent a half hour after dinner talking about all the reasons they liked certain pieces. But they both said this piece is the only one you look at that feels like me and my personality. Every other work had a more serious tone, which makes sense; I tend to paint to deal with emotions that I don’t know what else to do with. But in my day to day life I’m a rather playful, positive person, often laughing and joking around encouraging those around me and just enjoying life. 

I don’t think my work always express that side of me, because I tend to create when I’m overwhelmed with emotions that I don’t know how to handle so I pour them into a painting or a poem. In fact people who follow me as a writer and artist see a whole very personal side to me that is a little glimpse of my heart and soul in restless moments of pouring out deep unprocessed emotions. My art is how I often process. I look at it, read it, know myself better, love it. Then go on with my life being my playful self just having as much fun each day as I possibly can and still find time to work enough to pay the bills. 🙂 

So my daughter and her friend said this painting was the most “me” painting of them all. Light, playful, spontaneous, unplanned and the details and wash I came back to do were so relaxing and brought me endless joy while working on this piece off and on all week. Sharing with you all little images and videos along the way.

So here it is. Initially named “Falling Petals” mainly because when I was painting it felt like beautiful blossoms raining from the trees in spring, but then once dry it felt to be a bit like when cut flowers begin to dry and fall. Not in a bad way really as I didn’t think about the title at the time either, only realizing now why I called it that.

This new piece, because it is no longer the same piece that sat in my garage 3 years, is called “Girl in Flight”. Inspired a bit by the joy of feeling my hands dance happily across the canvas every time I worked on this piece and the way I feel now. Like I’m just taking off, working passionately on all my different projects! Creative work has taken over my whole house and garage. Painting, photographing, finishing works, sharing works, writing new poetry inspired by the works, making jewelry, urban exploring, meeting with gallery owners, joining an art association. Also looking at local storefronts to open my own studio, gallery and potentially an art center here in my small town so I can get out of my garage and dining room and share art with my local community. 

I’m having a blast participating in “The People’s Artist” competition mainly because it is causing me to reconnect or connect more personally with so many people I have met on this journey, friends and family I love dearly and rarely see and to feel the constant support of those closest to me near and far. My kids, friends, family, neighbors have been cheering me on, voting daily and looking at all my art work, talking about it, telling me what they like. I’ve had painting and commission requests which is very exciting. And tomorrow I take five of my works (that you all were so awesome to help me choose) to the Whitewater Valley Art association where they will be on exhibit from Mid-June to early July. It has felt like taking off, finally putting my whole heart into painting and creating, something I’ve always loved but never truly took the time to work on making a real career out of. And I’m feeling free and light, and overjoyed to be alive, making art I love and sharing it with you all ~ definitely a “Girl In Flight.”