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Janet Latshaw Simons
USA
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“My creative approach can best be described as Representational Art, implementing stylized realism, with the application of graphic, bold color.”
Janet Latshaw Simons is a prolific American painter, who began her vocation as an artist when returning from two and a half years traveling around the world, begun after a year away at college. From living in a prehistoric cave on Menorca and remote Greek Island Mountain villages, while learning Greek, to living in a flat in London, and roaming all over Europe, Cypress, and Israel, she experienced worlds she couldn't have imagined.
The Ripple Effect | Acrylic
$8,000
30 X 40
Gallery Wrap on canvas. This painting depicts an actual portion of a river in Wisconsin. It is an enlargement of a small microcosm creating an abstract appearing image. The ripples on the right spread out into various ripple-like effects and shapes, creating an intriguing composition. As in life, the energy and actions we emit, spread out and effect other things, in a positive or negative way. The metallic copper paint creates interesting focal points contrasting the various ripples.
Upon returning to America just before turning 21, she decided to test her drawing ability. She drew a sketch of a Native American in full headdress and was shocked to discover it looked exactly the same as the photo. With this epiphany a lifelong pursuit of art was born.
Symmetry in Motion | Acrylic
$3,500
30 X 40
Gallery Wrap on canvas. As I was canoeing around a lake in Illinois, I came upon a section of the lake that had gorgeous, glimmering, lines and shapes reflected from the sun. A glassy-looking surface portrays the natural flow and balance of nature, with its symmetry in motion. Capturing authentic beauty is what excites me. Reality is more fascinating than what could be.
Changing her major to "Art," she continued her studies. While attending Santa Monica College, a professor who taught there, at ArtCenter and at other universities in southern California, informed her that she drew the best out of all his students. This encouragement gave her motivation and the strength to believe in herself.
“Awe-inspiring nature continues to surprise and captivate me.”
Janet was adopted at birth and was flown from Oregon to California at a week old, growing up in the Latshaw family. They loved and supported her, treating her as their own. Through her loving family a value of education was instilled in her as she strove to achieve her highest potential. Until a few years ago she knew nothing about her actual heritage. In learning she is mostly Norwegian; she hopes to travel to Norway someday.
Sunset at San Gregorio: #4 | Acrylic
$5,000
72 X 36
Gallery Wrap on canvas. Sometimes it feels that we are striving for something that is absolutely unattainable. The road is horrendously long. When I lived in California, my daughter Tiffany and her baby, were visiting. As we took off for the beach, we encountered horrific gridlock traffic. We inched along at a snail's pace. Tiff kept saying we could forget it. But I kept going and going. When we arrived, it was at sunset. We observed the most spectacular sunset I had ever seen. Never give up!
Gallery Wrap on canvas. This scene is from a sighting of "The Bean" which is technically called Cloud Gate, an iconic structure located in Millennium Park, in Chicago, Illinois. I love to paint things that are atypical. Although thousands of tourists flock to see this statue, yearly, this is not a common perspective. I loved the contrast of the brightly colored umbrella, the foliage, fencing and lights strung up above, as I sat in a nearby cafe. On this day, there were no clouds in the sky.
The Bean from a Cafe | Acrylic
$5,500
30 X 40
During her childhood a love of nature developed, while going to the beach, visiting her grandmother in San Francisco and her grandmother and lumberjack grandfather in the redwoods of Humboldt County, as well as sailing with her dad on San Francisco Bay. This idyllic childhood formed who she would become as an adult.
"My travel experiences changed my life. At the end of the journey, during a visit to the National Gallery in London, a deep appreciation of art welled up from within. Had I found my true passion in life?"
"Because I had lost art and gotten it back, I have a zealous desire to paint and share my unique interpretation of beauty in the world."
After earning a B.S. degree in Graphic Design/Illustration from San Jose State University, she embarked on a career as a Graphic Designer/Illustrator for many years. However, through some highly unanticipated roadblocks in life, all endeavors in the art world were lost for ten years. She was dumbfounded as to how this could happen. Her lifelong dreams had seemingly been extinguished.
Orchids: #8 | Acrylic
$3,000
48 X 24
Gallery Wrap on canvas. When visiting an exhibit called "Orchid Brilliance," at the Chicago Botanic Garden I observed 10,000 orchids. An enlargement of these particular orchids shows the light filtering through the petals, creating bright fuchsia and maroon patterns, set against the lime green leaves. These flowers were very perky. I was intrigued by the numerous varieties of the orchid species. I created 17 different paintings of various orchids from this show. This is 8th in my orchid series.
Janet acknowledges today that she is highly fortunate, since, in her life she was miraculously saved three times: first, when she was given up for adoption, secondly, when she avoided a head-on near-fatal car collision in the Colorado Rockies (in her early twenties), and again, when she fled California as her existence was being horrifically threatened.
Orchids: #11 | Acrylic
$4,500
48 X 24
Gallery Wrap on canvas. When attending the "Orchid Brilliance" exhibit at the Chicago Botanic Garden, I observed 10,000 orchids. I have always loved orchids, but I had no idea regarding how many species of these flowers exist. This enlargement of these vividly purple orchids contrasted against the yellow sepals shows the way these flowers cascade in an interesting, flowing manner. I created a series of 17 different types of orchids, with this being the 11th in the series.
After this last harrowing escape, on Christmas day she received a digital tablet. She began using the paint program and discovered that unused artistic prowess does not dissipate with time. She produced digital images and was thrilled to learn that she still had her creativity. Janet got art back!
Gallery Wrap on canvas. While visiting a tulip festival in Holland. (No, not the Netherlands. Michigan!) Here, I saw lots of varieties of tulips, a type of flower I love. This painting shows an enlargement of some bright red and orange-colored flowers, seen from above. I aimed to focus on the patterns of the graphic composition of these flowers and petals. Often, I use fluorescent paint to convey an accurate depiction of the vivid colors, such as in this piece of art.
Holland Tulips: four | Acrylic
$7,000
24 X 48
“I am ecstatic to be creating art again. My motto is: Never give up!”
California Sea Lions | Acrylic
$5,000
40 X 20
Gallery Wrap on canvas. This painting shows some sea lions lounging around at the pier in Santa Cruz, California. The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) was designated in 1992. It includes 36 species of marine mammals, over 180 species of seabirds and shore birds and at least 525 species of fishes. Sea lions are playful, engaging creatures. Growing up near Santa Cruz I loved watching them, They're my favorites! I am thrilled that through this sanctuary they will not become extinct!
In 2017, she returned to her love of acrylics and began painting Gallery Wrap canvases in the form of series. The first series was from a visit she had made observing a spectacular sunset at San Gregorio beach.
Gallery Wrap on canvas. I went to stay at Matanzas Lake in a lake house, located near Havana, Illinois, and observed several days of sunsets. This particular night was especially breath-taking as the sun set onto the lake. There were massive bright pink clouds that reminded me of cotton-candy. I felt compelled to include this as one of my sunset paintings on Matanzas Lake. The bright colors at the horizon, set against the line of trees reflected on the lake, added to this stunning view.
Matanzas Lake: Cotton-candy clouds | Acrylic
$4,000
24 X 48
Relying on her hand-eye coordination, Janet paints with a freehand method, devoid of any projection or tracing of subject-matter. Authenticity is at the root of her paintings. After joyously amassing a formidable body of work, she now presents it to the world.
Koi #1: Perseverance | Acrylic
$3,000
24 X 48
Gallery Wrap on canvas. Koi fish symbolize good fortune or luck. They are also associated with perseverance in adversity and strength of courage, transformation, success, longevity and ambition. These particular Koi are from a Japanese Garden in southern California. This painting is enhanced by the reflections which are accurately depicted. There is a fusion of realism with abstraction. In life, I wish one and all the ability to persevere through all hardships, and to achieve happiness,
“With each painting, signed as Latshaw, I capture real moments in time.”
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