Artist Janice Belove
I earned my BFA from MICA (Maryland Institute, College of Art) and MFA from Queens College, CUNY. I’ve taught Art in many capacities: Adjunct Art Prof, Museum Educator, and Public School Art Teacher. I currently offer adult Drawing classes in my Montclair, New Jersey studio. I was recently awarded a 2026 NJSCA (New Jersey State Council on the Arts) grant, for which I am extremely grateful.
My favorite recent exhibit that I’ve participated in was the 2004 New Jersey Arts Annual: Exploring our Connections, at the Montclair Art Museum I’ve shown my work throughout New York and New Jersey. My work is in in numerous private collections throughout the U.S. I live and paint in Montclair, New Jersey.
"My paintings and drawings reflect everyday life and the world around us, turning ordinary scenes into images rich with meaning and connection. I combine familiar objects and situations to create narratives that resonate with viewers, from scattered objects on tabletops, to portraits of people (often my own family members) just doing their thing. Other pieces of mine can often be spotted within my artwork. For me, painting and drawing are a meditation on identity and domesticity. They document a moment in time, informed by the ways that we live and the randomness of what is left behind. I like to find visual humor in situations, and draw on contemporary themes. My work is defined by detailed shapes, vivid color, and paths wandering through the space. One of my biggest influences—particularly in my iPad work, but in my oil painting as well—has been the British artist, David Hockney, who, early on, embraced the possibilities of using the iPad as a canvas of sorts. It is an exciting medium. Its smooth surface and the immediacy of the response time enable me to capture an intimate sense of place."
Tell us a little about yourself (where you are from) and your background in the arts.
I live in Montclair, New Jersey. I grew up in a suburb of NYC. I've loved to draw for as long as I can remember. Not feeling that I was good at anything beside making art, I attended undergraduate school at MICA (Maryland Institute, College of Art), then got my MFA in Painting from Queens College (CUNY). I have two grown children, who help me with my tech challenges.
At 72, after retiring as an adjunct Art Prof and art teacher, I finally feel like I've come into my own. I have the time to explore, paint, sit back and look, and connect the dots.
What kind of work are you currently making?
I've been working on a series of 32"x32" oil paintings for the past two years. In them, I'm trying to form a dialogue between the flattened plane of the canvas and spatial allusions. I use pattern, fairly intense repeated color, and clearly defined shapes to move around the canvas. Humor is often involved. This takes up about half of my practice.
The other half of my working time is spent doing paintings on the iPad. The iPad has taken the place of drawing on paper for me. I often get ideas for the paintings from the initial iPad work, which I also consider to be finished paintings.
What is a day like in the studio for you?
I walk out the back door to my studio, at the end of the driveway. It was converted from a garage 33 years ago. As soon as I walk in the studio door, I feel the difference - at home in my space. While setting up the palette, I'll look over my work with (I hope) fresh eyes. I'll usually get to work in the same area where I left off, since it's familiar. It's common for me to work on one painting at a time, sometimes for a few months. I'll break up that time by doing some iPad paintings and tiny wood sculptures.
I listen to a playlist that I add to and subtract from. The constants are Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell and Aretha (I know I'm dating myself) mixed in with some fiddle music, and music that my musician sons recommend. I'll work until I need to eat, refill my coffee (or go to the bathroom).
Then back out. I'll usually take a break, or sometimes call it a day after 4 or 5 hours. I really like having my studio close by...I can visit anytime to remember who I am, even if I'm unable to work that day.
What are you looking at right now and/or reading?
I am (always) looking at Catherine Murphy, David Hockney, Janet Fish, Rackstraw Downes, Fairfield Porter, and Philip Guston.
I also really like and admire Sophie Treppendahl's work. I am reading 'A World Appears' by Michael Pollan. I really like and admire Sophie Treppendahl's work.
Where can we find more of your work? (ex. website/insta/gallery/upcoming shows)
Website: https://www.janicebelove.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janicebelove.art/
Comments