Meet Janet Redmond-Weber | Artist working in Watercolor, Oil and Sculptural Paintings

We had the good fortune of connecting with Janet Redmond-Weber and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Janet, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I am an artist who works in watercolor, oils and sculptural painting. I grew up in a very creative home. My mother was gifted with a great imagination along with a talent for handling color. My uncle, who lived with us was a fine artist. They were always creating things together: paintings, murals and furniture. Their creativity knew no bounds. We did a lot of projects together.

As a result of watching those two, one of the ways I would play was to make little villages and houses from items my mother was throwing out. One time, I made a village on stilts from an old bamboo curtain. Since I modeled it after a picture in one of my textbooks, my mom suggested that I take it to school. When I did, I was a little taken back when my teacher invited the principal to come to the class to see it. They reacted like that was amazing and they loved it! I felt good about that, but it’s funny I was surprised because that’s just how I played.

When I was seven, I learned how to sew and soon made my doll’s clothes. Eventually leading to making all of my own clothes not only from patterns, but when I wanted to take things in a different direction, I made my own patterns from newspaper and made the piece the way I wanted it to look. When I started working, the women saw my jackets and matching purses. They started asking me to sew for them. I made over 100 purses one Christmas and sold them there. Making things became something I did all the time.

In my home growing up, my mentors were always using their imaginations creating what was needed to solve a problem. Growing up surrounded by creatives shaped my thinking and behavior. It was only natural that I would be involved in some creative field. I worked as an Interior Designer for several years. I loved working with color and creating environments. I especially loved creating renderings and my longing for painting resurfaced. When my mother passed away, I became more determined to learn to paint. I enrolled in an art school, duCret School of Art, and learned the skills I needed to start drawing and painting.

It took a while before I could feel right calling myself an artist, but I found out that was not uncommon. As my skills and knowledge increased, I became more comfortable claiming that. I had to persevere when I stepped out of my comfort zone until I began accomplishing my goals.

I was inadvertently trained to be creative. I didn’t even know other households weren’t like that. Because my early life experience predisposed me toward being creative, when I added to that the advanced knowledge that I would need in my field of choice, I was able to equip myself toward an artistic career.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I paint themes from nature, my favorite subject is flowers with striking colors. My paintings feed your spirit and help create an atmosphere of inspiration in a home. I like creating beautiful simple scenes in my paintings and sharing them with others. I think of my home as a sanctuary where I go to rest and recharge myself. As a former Interior Designer, I feel each room should have a focal point. Why not have that focal point be something that serves to inspire or invigorate you? A painting that stirs and feeds your soul.

Just as people have many sides to them, I have many ways that I like to express myself in my paintings. In my watercolors, I enjoy painting themes in both a realistic way, but also in a whimsical way at times. A painting can evoke so many emotions, why not have fun with it and be lighthearted, giving someone a laugh. I also like painting nostalgia, both my memories and memories that other people can relate to as well. My oil paintings are some of my favorite paintings. Usually more realistic, I can go really big with those creating some large botanical pieces.

Most recently, I have been moving into sculptural paintings. These are paintings that have some degree of three-dimensionality to them. Sometimes it’s something small like a lady bug on one of my oil paintings of flowers or the whole scene is thee-dimensional. I have created sculpted flowers, a grapevine, and birds just to name a few. I am evolving in this exciting new method of creating.

I like to paint pieces that make people feel good, inspired and encouraged. I prefer as one of my inspirational pieces says to, “Light a candle, rather than curse the darkness,” Eleanor Roosevelt. I like to look for inspiration to be a better person in my reading, nature, poems and quotes from people who have risen to handle obstacles. People who have touched me in some way with words that express their experience, triumphs, and wisdom. I then place those quotes on some of my paintings. I am continually learning and growing in life and in my art. I believe that makes my life more enjoyable. I am grateful for all that I have and my paintings reflect the beauty I see in life.

My business is just in its infancy and I am learning as I go. At some point you have to jump in the deep end and just learn about the business and which direction you want to take it. I always do some research and seek advice when I am moving into a new aspect of the business and as with anything perseverance and hard work pays off. I am at present signing up for several art festivals this year as well as looking into galleries that I could work with. I sell to individuals who hear of my work from word of mouth and who contact me on my website.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had company coming in from out of town in the summer, I might take them out to dinner one night to West 29th St. Restaurant in Wheat Ridge. They have a medium price point, a gourmet menu, chef and a lovely outdoor seating area. For an afternoon lunch or evening meal, I might take them for a drive to Lone Tree to Seasons 52 which has great seasonal specialties on it’s menu. If my friend was a shopper, Lafayette is a lovely town that has a lot of appeal. There are vintage stores. The Lafayette Flea Market, is fun. There are dozens of other antique stores as well as other shopping. Teocalli Cocina is a lovely Mexican restaurant with food with a flare. It also has outdoor seating and a nice ambiance. If we were still wanting a shopping stop, I would take them to a store in Lakewood, My Favorite Things that has lovely decorative items seasonal and otherwise where you can find a small gift item if you were looking for one. Golden is also a nice town to walk through with shops and you could stop at the Buffalo Rose and so many other restaurants to eat. Golden also has a great light show in the winter.

For a day trip, I would take them to Vail to the Betty Ford Gardens in the day and at night to the Gerald Ford Amphitheater, where we could hear a lovely concert under the stars. Another day trip or two could be to Steamboat, with some hiking, and plenty of restaurants. Similarly, Breckenridge is a cute little town you can drive to as well.

More locally, the Candlelight Concerts are also a possibility under the stars or inside some beautiful locations around town. For indoor concerts, I enjoy the Paramount, the Newman Center and the Buell theaters. The Denver Botanical Gardens is great in all seasons enjoying the flowers and also the evening concerts they have there in summer. In the winter the Gardens have a great light show as you walk through the grounds. I like art festivals in the good weather and they are everywhere in all the towns that I’ve mentioned.

We might take a ride up the Georgetown for a train ride through the mountains. Closer to home, in Golden for little ones, there are rides when Thomas the Train comes into town. In winter, the Polar Express is a possibility if you like cocoa and riding in your jammies.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband, Bob Weber says he is my best fan. He has supported me through school, encourages me as I work and tells everyone about me. My mother, Rose Redmond, always encouraged me and was a cheerleader for me in anything that I was involved in. My uncle, Vince Dwyer, whose creativity as an artist I will always admire. They say if you can see them, you can be them. I saw him. I am thankful for all of their influences over me.

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