JANNA WATSON | SHAPESHIFTER

Janna Watson’s abstract paintings capture vivid records of her motions as she paints, each gestural mark contributing to a narrative within the piece. Active brushstrokes are balanced by open spaces, quiet swoops of color, and places for the eye to rest. Washy fields of color contrast with deeply saturated strokes and vertical lines which hint at foreground and background. Watson has shared that her work is greatly influenced by the role her grandfather, also an artist, played in her development as a painter, saying "I am continuously inspired by [Arthur’s] fascination to make clashing colors work. Through his lessons, I remember him telling me 'I love things harmoniously ugly.' These words have stuck with me throughout my practice."

Janna Watson holds a BFA with Honors from Ontario College of Art & Design, Toronto, ON. She shows her work across Canada and throughout the United States. She has featured in dozens of publications, and her paintings are in collections such as Nordstrom, Toronto, ON; Saks Fifth Ave, Toronto, ON; Hudson’s Bay Company, New York, NY; and The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, ON.

“Language is not a tool we have, it is a shapeshifter, a being that lives with us, walks and talks with us and has its own business and intentions.” - Anne Carson

Part of the exhilaration I acquire from painting is being able to see shifts within myself manifested into physical reality. The most truthful form of expression I have found in my life thus far has been the abstract language of painting. Self growth is fluid and often goes unnoticed but when I am painting I can see worlds within myself being constructed and deconstructed. These moments and movements are intuitive and represent my internal landscapes. The more I learn about painting, I learn about myself. The more I create the more I realize that art is about art. Creation creates and it is an infinity of unfolding, effortless action. I recently fell in love and I didn’t have expectations for the first time in my life. I approached these works with the same unforced joy.

2024 Brackett Newsletter Feature

2024 Exhibition Catalog Shapeshifter

2019 Exhibition Catalog Seven Perfect Syllables

2018 Exhibition Catalog Moody As Light

2017 Exhibition Catalog Heavy With Dreams

2016 Exhibition Catalog Talking to Orchids