April 24th, 2012
Eight Bowls
Not sure what my current fascination with bowls is all about. Some artists have a fall back image that they go to when they aren’t sure what to paint. Pears are common. I did a lot of apples at one time. These bowls are different. I feel like they mean something to me…kind of like barns. Stacking them is new for me…and while I may have originally been influenced by Carol Marine’s stacked bowls, mine are uncommonly dark in value. I actually painted this entire piece (28″ x 22″) in black and white and then glazed it with transparent pigments…all acrylic.
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February 27th, 2012
Sketch with charcoal
I thought it would be fun to show the progression of a painting. Normally this would be hard for me to pull off since most of my work evolves as I paint it. But this was part of a larger commission so I was working from an approved color sketch.
This painting was an acrylic and charcoal landscape on a 24″ x 36″ gallery wrap canvas. I started by sketching in the major shapes including shadows. My minimal palette of just three colors plus white is softened by the use of charcoal.
Blocked in the darks and then mid-tone
Here I blocked in my darks first and then proceeded to add the sky and other mid-tones. Since charcoal dissolves into the paint, I need to work carefully in those areas with line work. Sometimes I go back over details with more charcoal. Spray varnish is necessary to fix the final version…but that comes later.
Adding mid-tone color
As I add in more midtone color, I make sure to repeatedly stand back from my easel to see if all the colors and values are working together. People ask how I get a soft, pastel look to my work. I tend to scrub my paints into the canvas to blend them…this works well to simulate the patchy values and color seen in fields and pastures (for me anyway!).
Finish with highlights and detail
I think I fiddled a little more with this afterward, but this is generally what the final piece looks like…The client wanted me to capture the calm, serene feel of our local landscapes…grassy, soft rolling hills of western sonoma county. We were both happy with the result.
Tags: Birth of a Painting, How to paint landscapes with charcoal and acrylic, Stage of a painting
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February 2nd, 2012
ohhh…remember the full moon during the first week of January?
Hoping to catch a peek at it, my husband, dog and I walked along the shore near Bodega Head. The weather was unusually dry and windless. The big gorgeous moon popped up over the dunes and the sky turned pink…reflected in the water. exceptional!
this one is for you sis!
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September 23rd, 2011
Coastal Foothills
Just posted my schedule for 2012 (see “teaching” page on this site). These sessions are all held at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. Registration begins there soon, or you can email me now. These classes are limited in size so register early. All levels of painting experience are accommodated.
Don’t forget to refresh the page if dates are not showing…and email me if you have any questions.
Tags: painting classes, painting classes Sebastopol, painting classes Sonoma County, painting workshops, painting workshops Sonoma County
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September 21st, 2011
Well it’s been a year full of changes for me. Moving into a new house with a new studio has been exciting and overwhelming. We are still in Bodega Bay, but now in a spot with more land and more space for a studio. I am thrilled to have a dry and spacious area for my work. I finally have a chance to update my site and start blogging again.
Recently I have been working more with oils although charcoal and acrylics are still favorites especially for teaching. Also I find myself incorporating more of the coastline in my work. What a stretch! I even painted my darling dog recently in addition to sheep and poppies. (see “New” work posted in my gallery).
Getting ready for ARTrails… the longest running juried open studio tour in Sonoma County. I am Studio #1. This is my first time doing this event. I never applied before this year because my studio location was so remote; at the most western point of the county, and there were no other artists showing out here. But now that I am a bit closer to town, and happily joined by sculptor Colin Lambert in Studio #2 in Valley Ford, I am looking forward to it. The Fall is the best time to visit the coast weather-wise. Oh, glorious sunshine… here at last!
Tags: ARTrails, Sonoma Coast
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June 8th, 2011
Sheep in Pasture mixed media on canvas 30" x 30"
The first weekend of Art at the Source was great in spite of the weather on Saturday. It was so nice to see so many people out looking at (and buying) art… visitors to our Studio #45 also came to see me paint and Craig explain his process of custom woodworking.
Although I haven’t had 5 minutes to update my site here with new work, the image at the left is one of a series of new pieces with sheep…those darling lambs we see each winter and early spring around Sonoma, Marin and Mendocino Counties. This one has sold, but there are others in this series. Also I have some big new up-close images of barns…that I really love…in oil and some in mixed media, and the poppy paintings, plus the red jar paintings. So come see us this weekend and enjoy a fun and free outing on the coast. Studio #45 in Valley Ford, behind West County Design, 10 am – 5pm June 11-12!
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May 24th, 2011
Only 2 weeks to go before ART at the SOURCE open studio tour! I am getting ready. I’ll be showing in Valley Ford this year with Craig Collins who makes custom fine furniture. The location is amazing … beautiful pastoral setting perfect for painting. Craig’s studio/ shop is so cool with all of the raw wood, tools and even a gorgeous wooden boat sitting high up in the rafters….a project dear to his heart.
This painting is the one I chose to hang in the preview show at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. Visiting this show is a great way to see work by all of the 153 participating artists…and a way to plan your tour of the studios.
There are seven of us showing on the coast this year…right off of the coastal Highway One. Craig and I are in Valley Ford near the border of Marin and Sonoma Counties and there are 4 artists showing in Salmon Creek, just a few miles north near Bodega Bay.
Tags: Art at the Source, Janet Moore painter, open studio tour
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May 14th, 2011
The wonderful owners (and wine makers) Tim and Jane of Portalupi Wines are hosting a reception and new rel
ease celebration this Thursday May 19 from 6-8pm. My work is hanging in their tasting room which is located next door to the famous Raven Theater in downtown Healdsburg. They will be releasing their newest wine, an Italian white called Vermentino and pairing it with a seafood chowder…yum! So come on down and try a new wine, see my artwork and say hello.
This event is a preview exhibit for Art at the Source which is coming up real soon…June 4-5 and 11- 12. I am happy to be showing in Valley Ford, just down the road from Bodega Bay, with my friend Craig Collins. Craig is a fine custom furniture designer and builder. He and his wife Sharon own West County Design …one of the nicest shops in Sonoma County that features Craig’s work along with a stunning selection of fine arts and craft…most by local artists.
I am looking forward to Art at the Source this year…it’s my 6th year of doing this open studio tour. I love meeting everyone and talking about art. This year since I have moved (within Bodega Bay) and am currently moving my studio I will be willing to part with some pieces that I have been hanging on to…moving is the best incentive for downsizing, right?
Tags: Art at the Source, open studio tour, Portalupi Wines, West County Design
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April 8th, 2011
Here is a close up of the rug that Peggy made using my images as a reference. And here are the original paintings..you can see that she did an amazing job of creating a new piece of art with wool no less!
“Three Barn Farm” Janet Moore copyright 2009
As long you get permission from the artist, I completely encourage this type of work… we all are inspired to create based on other peoples work..so why not extend that to other media? Peggy will not be selling this piece (I tried to buy it, so I know) but she will enter it into shows. And I bet she’ll win a prize because it is a great piece.
“Pasture, Shed and Fences “ Janet Moore copyright 2008
Tags: Janet Moore paintings, Peggy Northrup, rug hooking, wool adapted paintings
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April 7th, 2011
Imagine this! A very lovely woman came to my open studio last year and asked if she could use the image from my paintings for a rug that she was going to create. 
Well she contacted me again in February and brought in an adorable rug…the results were amazing. She not only used the image from one painting, but she combined 2 of my images to create something new. How creative!
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