I came across Janet’s colourful art on Instagram and was instantly fascinated. So much of what we see seems to be dark and dreary and here is an artist who absolutely embraces colour and life it seems. Her art instantly lifts the spirit, and after making contact with her, I can see why! I had to put some questions to her!
I just love the whimsical nature of your art, there really is a childlike happiness and innocence to it.
How much of yourself goes into your art? What gets you excited about creating?
I just love flowers and countrysides! I’m easily inspired and I always find joy and beauty in everyday, ordinary things. My artwork is perfectly imperfect, happy, colourful, filled with positive vibes and there’s a little bit of me in all of them. I paint things I love and places where I would love to be.
Tell us a little about yourself – are you a fulltime artist? Who is the Artist Janet Bester?
I’ve always loved being creative, having too many things I love to do and too little time to do it!! (I can really do with few extra hours per day!) I started painting as a hobby, but towards the end of 2016 I decided to take the leap, I opened my Janet’s Art Facebook page and started to share my art adventures and journeys on social media. I am also a photography enthusiast who loves to travel and take reference pictures of my paintings. I also love working in my garden and planting the flowers I love to paint. My time for painting is very limited because I homeschool my boys and work part-time, but a little progress each day adds up.
We are big art-supply lovers – it looks like you do mostly acrylic, anything else? What art supply can’t you go without?
I’m always experimenting and playing around – trying new mediums and different art supplies. At this stage I can’t go without texture paste – I love using it to add texture to my paintings.
If you could travel anywhere to just paint – what would your wish be? Where would you go and what would you paint? Do you have a favourite artist or artists you’d love to meet?
I’ve always dreamt of painting countrysides in Italy, but until that dream comes true I would still love to paint in Clarens, South Africa. I’ve always found this special little town and the surrounding areas very inspiring. I love the work of Dreama Tolle Perry, Nancy Medina and Mikki Senkarik. They all paint in bright, vivid colours and they also love flowers just like I do!
There are many young aspiring artists out there and your art reflects such a love for life – what would your advice be to a young (or young at heart!) person wishing to follow their dream of being an artist?
Start where you are and do the best with what you have and figure it out along the way. Growth only comes through continuous effort and never comes from comfort zones! Be creative, work hard, have fun and stay positive.
I don’t know about you, but Janet certainly inspires me to smile while I create – thank you so much for answering my questions. Now I have some more artists to find on Instagram!!
To follow Janet and see what she is up to, follow her on social media or visit her website:
Facebook: Janet’s Art | Instagram: @janet.bester.art | Website: www.janetsart.co.za
