Janie-G is another outstanding artist we have found on DA. Her still life portraits are wonderful, and her use of muted colors truly brings a more life like appearance to her work and adds texture. She varies her style depending on the subject matter she portrays in her paintings. Please take a moment to visit her gallery t see her awesome work!

INTERVIEW
1. How long have you been doing art?
I've been drawing and painting for about eight or nine years. I wish I'd begun earlier but I didn't have the time to spend on it while I was working full time.

2. What, or who, got you started and influenced your work?
My father painted all his life so I was always aware of him shutting himself away with his watercolours. I think it was his paintings of Venice which particularly inspired me to begin. He was passionate about the subject and the place.

3. Do you have any formal training as an artist?
When I'd decided to try to learn I enrolled in a couple of hours tuition a week but nothing formal. I've been very lucky to have had a couple of inspiring teachers who gave me a range of techniques to try out.

4. What software do you normally use for creating or preparing a work for display on the internet?
Nothing really. I'm very traditional in approach so I just paint them, scan them and bingo, there they are!

5. Do you have a preference for the type of picture you like to create?
I try not to get too limited by subject. I'll try anything because I like to keep my options open. The only thing I feel quite uncomfortable with is Landscape so I tend to leave those to people who can do them infinitely better than me. At the moment I'm quite interested in figures so I'm exploring the possibilities there.

6. Can you give a brief overview of the techniques you use?
Anything and everything! I mainly use watercolor because of the endless possibilities it gives. I love to paint wet in wet because of that magic blending as one color runs into another. I like to try out effects in the washes like sprinkling salt or pressing textures into the damp paint. I also use water soluble pencils on a damp wash and use pastels or other materials over watercolor. In the last year I've done more drawing. I find that very relaxing compared to watercolor which is often controlled panic before it dries out! One thing I really hate is masking fluid and I try to avoid using it if I can get away with painting round something or lifting paint off.

7. What sort of things inspire your artwork?
It can be anything as long as I feel desperate to paint it, from a wonderful flower to a favorite place. I have to feel some kind of emotional attachment to the subject before I can totally focus on it. That's one reason I find it so hard to get motivated if I'm asked to do a commission. It's not a subject of my choosing and I probably have no strong feelings about it.

8. Could you pick out 3 of your most favorite images from your gallery and explain why you particularly like them?
Rio di San Barnaba, Venice. This is one of my favourite places in my favourite city. The architecture is so incredibly wonderful that I don't think anyone could find a better subject. It just reminds me of being there.

Oriental Poppies. I painted this after a long day walking round Bodnant Gardens near Conwy in North Wales. Somehow the subject summed up all the lovely things we'd seen. I love poppies because they only last a few days but while they're there they put everything else in the shade. It's their drama I love and the delicacy of the petals.

Reunion. I'm not really a graphite artist but I wanted very badly to draw this. What attracted me was the incredible intensity of emotion and longing going on here. I've never been affected by any film to the extent Brokeback Mountain moved me so it was important for me to record this experience in some way. Also I drew it for the enjoyment of all the other Brokies I've met on this strange journey we've been on together.

9. Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?
Practice as much as you can, keep an open mind about trying new things, accept criticism and get your work out there for others to see in any way you can.

10. Do you have any future plans for diversifying your artwork?
I think learning about watercolor will keep me busy for ever! There's so much to learn.

11. Is there anything else you'd like to add about what you do? (Feel free to give links etc. where appropriate - and I'm particularly interested in your writing involvements etc.!)

I never thought I'd write a book! But five years ago I read some fiction about Alexander the Great and I thought that if only a fraction of the story was true, here was an amazing story. So I went and got a biography and the fiction didn't come near the reality. I was hooked! So I started to read in earnest, everything I could get my hands on and I turned into an Alexanderholic. lol! Along the way I joined an online discussion group and was able to share all the ideas churning round my head.

When I was asked to contribute to a book I was dubious I could do it but here I am, half way through writing on Philip of Macedon's influence on Alexander. Working with the others has been such a great experience. We consist of one Argentinean, a Dane, a Greek and me so it's like the United Nations all bound together by fascination for the most enthralling story in history.

Also I'm very proud to have an entry in a book compiled from some of the hundreds of thousands of posts contributed by the Brokeback Mountain Ultimate Guide forum. It's called "Beyond Brokeback; the impact of a film." The volunteers who worked for a year to put this together did a great job. It's been described in reviews on Amazon as "inspirational" and is selling well at the time of writing. It's a unique chronicle of the strange reaction we all had after seeing Ang Lee's masterpiece and includes some very moving stories, poetry and artwork.

Here are but a few examples of her work!