Janice Dumas has been fascinated with watercolor since she was a teenager in southeast Michigan. Her love of nature and the beauty around us has inspired her focus on plein air painting and landscape studio painting. In her series of studio and plein air paintings, “Journey Through Michigan”, Janice has depicted scenes of her travels throughout Michigan. Winter, spring, summer, fall – all seasons are represented. From vast landscapes to intimate details this series includes images that inspire her, some very recognizable, others not so much. Subject matter is varied including cityscapes, flora and fauna, people, activities, buildings and other structures, farmland, lakes and rivers, and humorous episodes. In painting these images the artist hopes to make a connection with the viewer, to evoke a memory of past travels or experiences.
See Janice’s website at: www.janicedumas.com
ARTIST’S STATEMENT:
I am an optimist. I love nature. I see beauty all around me. I love to share my interpretation of what I see with people who enjoy art – especially those who appreciate watercolor painting! Since I was a young girl I was fascinated with watercolor – I devoted myself to exploring the medium, the fascinating ways various pigments mix together then separate after you put them on the page, the way they burst across the paper when you place them in a puddle of water or another color, the thousands of colors you can mix from a palette of fifteen colors. Although mostly self-taught, I have attended several workshops to glean information from other artists and combined that information to use in my own unique way. In 2003 I was introduced to plein air painting – I attended a workshop where much of our time was spent painting landscapes outdoors. When we returned from the workshop we started the Michigan Plein Air Painters, a group of artists who have been painting outdoors every Saturday since 2003. Although most of the other painters work in oil and other media, I have figured out how to make watercolor work outdoors – from the high humidity, hot summer day to the freezing cold winter I can be found painting along a river or in a field – I am constantly looking for another scene to capture.
Janice’s Work
