Janet Fish

Olive Oil from Provence, 1973. Oil on canvas, 48 x 60 ".

Janet Fish and Charles Parness, 1999.

Butterfly Collection, 1984. Oil on canvas, 54 x 68".

Butterfly detail

Four Honey Jars, 1970. Oil on canvas, 67 x 54 ".

Oh, how I love Janet Fish. She is known for painting still lives - especially collections of things and vignettes too. She's amazing at painting glass and reflections as well as fruit in packages. The subject seems to take on a life, even a 'personality' of it's own.

"Gloriously ripe oranges strain against their high-gloss grocery wrapping. Grouped tequila bottles create a visual symphony of reflected color and light. An afternoon tag sale, complete with badminton set and Barbie doll, is brought to life through lush brushstrokes and vivid color. Artist Janet Fish is well known for her richly executed oil paintings and watercolors of glass, fruit, and flowers, through which she 'captures the beauty of everyday objects.' Her art is 'beyond realism.'" (Vincent Katz)

Janet Fish was born in Boston, MA in 1938. She grew up in Bermuda, went to Art College in New Haven, CT and the Skowhegan School in Maine. She was big in the New York art world in the 1960's and 1970's.

Images from the fabulous book : Janet Fish Paintings by Vincent Katz - 2002, Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

Kaye Synoground - A Closer Look

(title unknown)

Astoria Houses

Kitchen Cupboard

Morning Coffee Break

Here is an artist I met when I lived in Portland. Kaye Synoground is a wonderful illustrator and watercolor artist. She has a little gallery in Multnomah Village, SW Portland. Upon my first visit to her studio/gallery, I climbed a long staircase. She had an old fashioned stove with all the cute curves, etc. - probably a Merritt-O'Keeffe. Anyway, she was just taking oatmeal raisin cookies out of the oven & offered me some. The place smelled lovely and the artwork so fun and beautiful - I was hooked! I enjoy her subject matter... little vignettes around the house, village scenes and hip ladies in vintage dresses. Her winter snow scenes of the village are so nice.

Kaye ended up closing her shop just as I was moving to Spokane. She wanted more time in her home studio to produce work. About 3-4 years later we were visiting Portland and discovered she had opened up a new gallery down one block where an antiques store once resided. Now, if only I could get to Portland more often. She teaches watercolor classes at Multnomah Art Center and did illustrations for a book called Married to My Garden. Kaye and her husband have a beach house not too far from Portland and I think she likes to paint out there. Wish I knew more about her to tell you all ... enjoy her paintings.