Janet Malenfant

Fall Show

2009-10-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

Come see my new work!

Reflections

Paintings & Mixed Media with Resin

Artist Opening Reception

Friday, November 6, 2009

5:30-7:30

Cambridge Center for Adult Education

42 Brattle Street

Harvard Square

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Paintings on view month of November

To see more of my work, go to my new website: http://web.me.com/malenfant

New Fall Paintings 2009

2009-09-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

I've been busy in my studio working on concurrent projects in anticipation of my November show at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. In addition to more of my smaller box paintings I've been continuing to create mixed media portrait collages. What I'm really jonesing about these days is resin. For a few years now I've been experimenting with galkyd to create reflective designs on my paintings. Now I'm working with coating my entire painting in resin.

The series you see above, "Red Berries" is my start. At my old house I had a winterberry bush that had these beautiful red berries that the birds loved. They looked particularly lovely in the snow. The berries are painted on a striking blue background, a coating of resin appears on top and finally the next layer is snow. The added depth is interesting and engages the viewer. I'll be experimenting with this technique in the next few weeks.

Gearing Up!

2009-08-06T03:11:00.000-07:00

I'm back from my travels overseas to southern France, Switzerland and Germany. Southern France inspired me as I travelled through miles of sunflower fields and enjoyed the warm hospitality of the people there. The alchemy of 800 year old stone buildings, incredible food and wine, driving on little country roads to find the birthplace of my gr.x4 grandfather Antoine Chapouil filled my notebook with words and colors that I'll be thinking about as I paint this fall.

The Cambridge Center for Adult Education has asked me to show my work during the month of November. I'll be kicking into gear earlier than usual this fall and it will be great therapy for me while missing my daughter as she heads off for college.

Post Open Studios

2009-05-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

A busy spring ahead as my oldest graduates from high school. My husband, daughter, ten year old son and I will all travel to Switzerland, France and Germany this summer. We'll also head down to our summer digs on Pt. Judith Pond in Wakefield, Rhode Island. The trip to Europe and our time in RI will surely be an inspiration to me.

Last week I attended a film called "Who Does She Think She Is?" ... it was a wonderful compilation of women speaking about their challenges as artists and mothers. You can learn more about the film at http://www.whodoesshethinksheis.net

Mod Box Stripes Series

2009-04-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

6x6 inch acrylic with 2 inch cradle and galkyd finish overall.

Mod Box Series

2009-04-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

6x6 inch acrylic on 2 inch cradle with galkyd finishes.

Elements Series

2009-04-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

5x5 inch acrylic on 2 inch cradled board with galkyd finishes.

Water Series

2009-04-07T10:50:00.000-07:00

6x6 inches, 2 inch cradled acrylic paintings with galkyd finishes.

Tree Series

2009-04-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

5x5 inch acrylic on 2 inch cradled birch with galkyd finishes.

Painted Photograph Paintings

2009-02-23T10:16:00.000-08:00

Down to the wire and as usual I'm fairly productive under pressure. I've been planning a large scale portrait using a photo that I took of my son in Maine a few years ago. The photo image is beautiful... a calm moment in an otherwise busy few moments in my dear friend Bridget's chicken coop! I also used a photo taken of my daughter in RI... one of my favorites of her.

As mentioned in an earlier post I use the photo image and paint over it. This project has some more work left to be done but I'm pleased with the progress so far. It took more time to break down the photo into around 20 parts, enlarge that small image up to 8.5x11, put it all back together loosely and then adhere it to masonite. Learned a few tricks along the way that I'll apply to future projects. The result is a "painted photograph painting" with parts of the photo peeking through and other parts taken completely away with paint. I've had fun doing these and they're a nice break from my box paintings.

Bird Series

2009-01-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

Spring is here... birds are in a nest building frenzy outside my windows. Nesting materials too big to carry flutter down from the sky. Trees are blooming and I am anxiously awaiting the blooms on the cherry tree outside my studio.

Small Series, May 2008

2008-05-08T05:26:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest set of small box paintings. The inspiration for these paintings was the gardens in my neighborhood on a rainy day: Red and orange tulips, green grass and a cloudy sky full of rain. The paintings are 5x5 inches with a deep cradle. The materials used are acrylic with galkyd finish. Contact me at badchild@comcast.net if you are interested in purchasing this series.

A slight detour

2008-04-01T05:58:00.000-07:00

Today I'm posting the results of a slight detour from my paintings. Recently I produced birthday iMovies for my sister-in-law and my mother. This required going through many old photos and albums. I was trying to find a way to use these in my art. I scanned and manipulated the images, printed them on a special paper and then painted directly onto the paper itself.

Click on any of the images to see a larger, more detailed version.

It's been an interesting process and I'm happy with the results. Again, the layering, adding texture, playing with color. Hiding some parts of the images and letting others stand out. The tiniest touch of white to an eye to make it glimmer. Some of these will be in Open Studios April 26-27th.