Over the last few years, the blues and yellows belonging to artist Janis Sanders have become familiar and sought after. The perfect sky and stunning landscape of New England are both honored in his work and celebrated on his canvas.
Beginning Saturday, May 8, artist Janis Sanders’ new works are to be showcased at The Gallery on Maine Art Hill at 14 Western Avenue in Kennebunk.
Sanders says, “Each of my works is done as spontaneously as possible, with only minimal blocking in of forms. I paint vigorously, expressively, and physically, applying paint with a palette knife in areas of color, then smoothing and blending minimally to keep the paint fresh.”
Sanders is an accomplished oil painter who has won awards for his distinctive painting style. He melds elements of American Realism with Modernism/Impressionism for a dramatically contemporary visual result. Many of Sanders’ paintings are done outside or “en plein air,” a method introduced by French artists, which means “open-air.”
“I feel the day, the sky, the atmosphere, and the sun on things, just as I did as a kid, with the same amazement and awe and wonder,” he says. “I try to convey that moment of joy and presence through the scenes of my paintings without intention for nostalgia or sentimentality. Whether it is a farm in a pasture with a working barn or a lobster shack along a wharf, the sense of place is real.”
A landlocked kid raised in upstate New York, Sanders grew into a true New Englander and continually celebrated its beauty through his work. His strong linear shapes of buildings and rooflines stand solid in contrast to the natural curves of land and sea. All are illuminated by sunlight casting gently across the varied surfaces.
“I begin each painting with the sky; to me, the most important element,” says Sanders. “The sky is light. We are immersed in it. It’s the key to determining the entire atmosphere of the painting. Visually and practically, it provides the backdrop for the other objects in view,” says Sanders. “I paint those blue skies, each one new, each one fresh from the gut.”
The Janis H. Sanders’ show opens at The Gallery on Maine Art Hill, 14 Western Avenue, on Saturday, May 8, at 10 am. The show runs through Thursday, May 27, and is open daily at 10 am. FMI call 207-967-2803 or visit www.maine-art.com/shows.
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