Tag Archives: Fine Art

Featured Artist: Janice Kirsh

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Photo: Best in Show – Janice Kirsh. Paint Annapolis “Charles Carroll Overlook” – 1st place awarded by the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association and the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts (2011)

My travels last week took me to Howard County, Maryland to see an exhibit at the Columbia Art Center. The artist lives just a hop, skip and a jump away over two county lines. I’ll refrain from using the term “local artist” because in some individual’s minds, the term connotes an amateur artist which is far from the truth when it comes to Janice Kirsh’s talent.

Janice’s art education started with the Maryland Institute of Art and then onto the Shuler School of Fine Arts where she studied the techniques and methodology of the Old World Masters. With time, she found her own style. Her strong foundational skills are evident. She’s continued studying with some of the best of the best and has been taught by master artists such as Quang Ho, Scott Christiansen, David Leffel, Sherrie McGraw and other top-notch painters who are also known for their top-notch teaching workshops.

Chasing the Hibiscus 14″ x 18″

Although she does some studio work, Janice’s love for plein air painting often finds her in gardens and outdoors settings. Her paintings are well-executed because she is skilled at bringing different light and atmospheric variables to the canvas. For collectors who have an appreciation of the difficulty that it takes to get it right, they will fully appreciate what they see. Particularly telling is her only coastal/seascape painting in her current exhibit. The horses with people riding on the beach is only one of many of her exceptional oils. To my eyes, in “Morning Ride” the artist brings a bit of an “old world quality” to the canvas.

“Morning Ride,” Cannon Beach, Oregon, Janice Kirsh

Janice’s self-assuredness as an artist is seen through her paintings, and her canvases are a testimony to her versatility as an artist. Her confidence, in part, comes from painting many locations – from Dublin, Ireland to Port Clyde, Maine to the coast of Oregon to the Adirondacks. Some landscapes were painted closer to her home such as at National Mall in, D.C. to locales in Virginia, Baltimore and Ellicott City. Every stroke of the brush seems deliberately placed for a specific reason yet, there is still a marvelous looseness to her work. I so enjoyed conversing with her about some of those purposely put dabs of paint and we discussed each and every painting in her Columbia Art Center exhibit.

Warm Winter Light 20″ X 16″, Janice Kirsh

“Landscapes Near and Far” at the Columbia Art Center will be on display until June 3, 2023, so there is still time to see the show. It’s always fun to discover high-quality artists whose work you are unfamiliar with. A few of the posted images are of canvases which are in her Columbia Art Center Exhibit.

Font Hills Habitat, 10″ x 16″ Janice Kirsh

Baltimore “Flower Mart” Janice Kirsh

Eastport Annapolis 12″ X 18″ Janice Kirsh

When you look at Janice Kirsh’s long list of invitational exhibits, awards and juried shows she’s been included in, she’s obviously valued as an artist. She has been featured in a book “100 Plein Air Painters of the Mid Atlantic.” If you are not close enough to see the show in Columbia, MD check out her website to learn more about the artist, Janice Kirsh, and to see many more images of her fabulous paintings.

This article was written by award-winning author, Sue Batton Leonard. http://www.AllThingsFulfilling.com.

Janice Kirsh, artist at work

Individual Expression

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“Some days there won’t be a song in your heart. Sing anyway.”
Emory Austin 

In the January/February issue of Art of the West Magazine, there is an article by artist, Logan Maxwell Hagege, called My Voice is Coming Through. Hagege’s interests in art began in animation, but they eventually turned to fine art. Yet, the influence and his previous experience with animation can be seen to a certain extent, in his paintings. Many of his paintings reflect a southwest environment, but there is also a collection of paintings depicting the northeastern part of the country that truly reflect everyday life on the water. To see Hagege’s website, follow this link. http://bit.ly/Rv5ukg. 

We pick up cultural and societal influences throughout our lives –  in our travels, and through our encounters with people.  Reading the title of Hagege’s article My Voice is Coming Through made me think of how our own voices are reflected in everything we create. Whether we are practicing the art of living through our relationships, writing, painting, making films, composing music, making jewelry or any other kind of art. In the end, our creations are a picture of our imaginations, thoughts and emotions. 

self-reflection-in-mirrorOur voices even come through in the children we raise, steer and mold. We hope some of our words of wisdom to our kids will be remembered and thought about. Sometimes our attitudes come echoing back to us through our offspring, and we regret some of the things we ever said! I don’t think there has ever been a parent who hasn’t experienced that. 

In this digital age, we create profiles of ourselves through the images and words we post on the internet. Be aware of that, and post appropriate content. Believe it or not, potential employers now look at the internet to see what they can find out about someone they might hire. 

Individual expression is one reason why people find using social media fulfilling, but make sure it truly reflects who you are and what you are all about. 

More independent thoughts, words and views from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com   tomorrow!

Engage them in Art

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 “ Creativity is a characteristic given to all human beings at birth” ~ Abraham Maslow 

Instead of holding a birthday party at a pizza joint or a fast food restaurant, surround your kids and their friends with Fine Art. Make it a gala to remember by exposing your children to culture and fulfill your parental duties of providing educational opportunities for your children outside of the classroom. Hold a Birthday Party in an Art Museum! 

The Museum of Fine Art in Boston, Massachusetts is just one of a number of art museums across the country offering birthday parties for kids. Catch kid’s interest in paintings, sculpture, folk art and other mediums of art while they are young. You can arrange for a private museum tour with a docent that is experienced at engaging and exciting young minds about Art. Perhaps a hands-on session of making a creative piece of artwork to take home, inspired by an art gallery exhibition would be fun! Send the party-goers on a treasure hunt throughout the museum looking for animals, artifacts, fashion or other themes represented in the artwork exhibited. Creative learning about art is always fun! 

Think outside the box for your child’s next birthday celebration. Instead of giving things like candy as a party favor,  how about child-sized artist berets, a box of pastels, a children’s book on a famous artist or a brush with a box of watercolor paints. It will provide a way to continue the creative streak long after the party is over. 

For more information on this fun way to celebrate a child’s birthday in an Art Museum visit http://bit.ly/egPsV6 or use your favorite search engine to locate a list of art museums that offer parent/child programs for fulfilling birthday fun or for rainy days. Incorporate  creative learning experiences and personal fulfillment through Art in your child’s life.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.