ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Following a successful career in marketing and graphic design, Janine is now a full time artist working from her studio in York, UK. In 2020, she began selling her work through the Art & Soul Hub based in Beverley and is now firmly established as one of their best selling artists.
Janine’s favoured mediums at present are ink and coloured pencils, both of which require a unique set of skills in terms of their creative thinking and application. As someone who thrives on the challenges of painting in a realistic style, developing these skills has been the key focus on Janine’s artistic journey over recent years.
After the birth of her third child in 2007, Janine researched and created a book based on her family history that included intricate hand-drawn ink illustrations, which enabled her to bring the stories of her ancestors across several generations to life. Following the completion and publication of the book, Janine went on to develop many of the botanical, and wildlife illustrations into a wider portfolio which continue to be popular with her followers and collectors today.
Her journey into coloured pencils began by chance in 2015, when she was commissioned to create a portrait of a premier league footballer, which went on to be included in a book. In 2020, Janine became a member of the UKCPS, and her work has recently been selected to represent the group at the 18th World of Coloured Pencils Exhibition in Keswick. In addition, several pieces of her artwork have been featured by the world’s leading coloured pencil magazine Color - Ann Kullberg.
18th World of Coloured Pencils Exhibition, Keswick, UK — 2021
‘Red Delicious’ (Red Squirrel with Red Delicious apple) - May/July 2021
Color (Ann Kullberg) Magazine ‘Art Showcase’ — 2020 - Present
‘Daisy Duke’ (duckling) - May 2021
‘Red Delicious (red squirrel with Red Delicious apple) - April 2021
‘Pickles’ (budgie) - January 2021
‘The Night Watchman’ (lion) - August 2020
INSPIRATIONS
Living and working in the heart of York, Janine is not only surrounded by beautiful countryside but also by the architecture and history of one of the UK’s most famous cities. Daily riverside walks with her Labrador ‘Molly’ stimulate the senses in every way possible and the range of nature on her doorstep is a huge source of inspiration.
Janine has always had a great affection and respect for all animals both great and small, from majestic big cats to tiny field mice and loves to recreate their beauty onto canvas. In capturing every detail of the animal, Janine begins each painting by firstly concentrating on the eyes; this enables her to connect with her subject before she proceeds onto the technical aspects such as the fur. The overall intention is to breathe life into her paintings so that they communicate with the viewer emotionally as well as visually.
ARTISTIC AMBITIONS
Over the last few years, Janine’s primary focus has been developing and enhancing her technical skills, by predominately using coloured pencils. Her immediate aim is to develop her own unique style in this medium by combining strong bold colours with her realistic style to produce stunning artwork that is both eye-catching and memorable.
Recently, Janine has been learning to paint with acrylics with a view to producing large-scale canvases of wildlife in the future. Her long-term vision is to establish herself as a respected artist and in doing so, to protect the animals that she paints from exploitation and extinction.
Following the recent success through Art & Soul, the next step is for Janine to also showcase her work in other art galleries across the uk.
QUALIFICATIONS
HND Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Marketing
LINKS
https://www.facebook.com/janineleesart