Though largely self-taught over the past 10 years she has taken over 30 workshops her instructors include: Nita Leland from USA, Johnathon Talbot from USA, Isabelle Hunt of Calgary, Joan Federoshyn of Calgary, Jeremy Mayne of Calgary, Dianna Ponting from B.C., Anthony Steffes from Manitoba, and Brian Atyeo from Nova Scotia.

“Learning from the best instructors available” was a piece of advice Janie has taken to heart. Travel is an important part of her life. She draws her inspiration in part from places she has visited. South East Asia; Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Bali are recent areas of interest.

Artist Statement:
“My focus has been to emphasize the beauty of nature. I do this by abstracting my composition somewhat, zooming in on the subject or painting it slightly out of context. In doing this I hope to entice the viewer to look closely and to feel involved with the piece.”

Janie works primarily with Golden's High Flow Acrylics. She uses these acrylics in a watercolour manner on panels. She uses gel medium to texture the panels before applying paint, using layering and glazes to achieve her vision. On occasion she uses collage, pastel and transfers in a mixed media approach to achieve a feeling of depth and an intriguing surface quality.