Upstate artist Janis M. McElligott’s latest acrylics paintings offer a reflection on serious topics, emotional matters to gentle, silly, fun images. An exhibition of the works, “Random Thoughts … That Slip Away,” will be held June 3 through 28 in Gallery III of the Artists Collective | Spartanburg.
An artist’s reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 19, as part of Spartanburg ArtWalk. The reception and exhibition viewing are free and open to the public. The exhibit will display 18 to 20 original acrylic paintings in various sizes and color palettes and will be offered for purchase with prices ranging from $30 to $1,800.
“This artwork reflects my random thoughts on various topics that flash through a news cycle” says McElligott, a native of Massachusetts who now lives in Taylors.
“For the paintings in this exhibit I utilized canvas size and a broad paint palette ranging from dark hues to bright colors to enhance and capture the moods of the various subject matters, which range from current news topics to light, silly thoughts of pure imagination,” she adds. “I hope this exhibit conveys how quickly we move from one thought to another, or one emotion to another, with no connection between them. These paintings are an attempt to give pause and reflection on a topic or feeling for just a moment more. These days we rarely have time to build on a thought. We just move on.”
In today’s world, information comes at record speed and through various media – print, radio, television, film, video, audio recording and internet, she says. “Even if we don’t want to consume information, we are eating it. Headlines are read, hooks are heard, thoughts are planted, with no time given to understanding what we have consumed. The paintings in this exhibit put on display some of my fleeting thoughts inspired by the media.”
She says her message through the paintings in the exhibit is “It’s good to stop and think about the information we consume. In today’s explosive environment we are assaulted with messaging and that messaging quickly transforms into thoughts, with or without understanding. These painting are a presentation of my thoughts”
McElligott takes inspiration from a quote by author James Baldwin – “All art is a kind of confession.”
“My paintings are mine,” she says. “They are composed of things I’ve seen or emotions I share – all put on canvas as my declaration to loving life’s moments. The simplest sights can help the heart remember what’s important. Whether it be a loving pet remembered, a
little girl feeling the crash of an ocean wave or the silence of snow. All these things provoke a wide range of emotions. These varying emotions are captured by using the gaiety of vivid colors to the solemnest of gray scale. It’s my hope that you too feel the moment.”
McElligott is a self-taught artist with no professional art training. She has practiced her love of drawing, with a focus on realism, for a lifetime. She carried her sketch pad with her wherever she went, serving to either capture a moment or escape one. In retirement, her sketching expanded to acrylic painting, adding color to life’s moments. Her art has been exhibited in galleries, juried shows and private collections. She currently is working on commissioned paintings and juried shows.
A member of the Artists Collective | Spartanburg for five years, McElligott says she is excited about the upcoming exhibit. “It’s a blessing for an artist to have a space available to display a body of their work. The Artists Collective supports both the artist and the community. Artists gather here to share their artwork and knowledge and skills with each other and the community. The Artists Collective offers space for gatherings, art classes and much more. It’s a great place for all who share the love of art.