Biography:
JANET TARJAN ERL, EDUCATION: University of California, Davis. 1978-81. Sierra College, Rocklin, CA. 1974-1977. MAJOR FIELDS:Fine Arts PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS: National Watercolor Society (NWS) ABOUT THE ARTIST My professional art career spans forty years of painting fine art. I have exhibited in over seventy exhibition venues including one person shows, group shows, and juried competitions in museums, arts organizations, and galleries, and have won many awards for my watercolors and oils. I have been featured in publications such as American Artist, US Art, and Wildlife Art News, and my paintings are in noteworthy museum, corporate, and private collections. ARTIST STATEMENT I am a traditional, semi-realistic watercolor and oil painter, and I represent my view of the places and things I experience through my hikes and outdoor explorations. My artwork is rooted in a sense of place, and I prefer to capture the features and impressions of places or objects, especially from the natural world, by distinguishing what makes them unique. I do this by painting individuality, not generic generality. I prefer portraying subjects that evoke rapture, reverence, and awe - subjects that engage people to be grateful for their universe and the natural world that sustains them. I paint beauty to lure people back to the not too distant past when mankind was one with Nature - to open their minds to something most people have forgotten. I enjoy traveling and exploring and, much like John Muir, being inspired by the vast beauty of this earth. MUSEUM COLLECTIONS Leigh Yawkey Woodsen Art Museum, Wausau, WI. Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT. Coos Art Museum, Coos Bay, OR. Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ. Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum, Oradell, NJ. James Ford Bell Museum of Natural History. Minneapolis, MN. San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, CA. MAJOR PRIVATE & PUBLIC COLLECTIONS Central Oregon Community College, Bend, OR. Rocky Mountain Clothing Company, Denver, CO. GRANTS Capelli d’Angeli Foundation 2013 Artist Grant, Capelli d’Angeli Foundation, Canton, CT. Owen Gromme Grant, 1990, American Museum of Wildlife Art of the James Ford Bell Museum of Natural History. Minneapolis,MN. Dan Dobbins Stipend, 1983, Sierra Club Motherlode Chapter, CA. JURIED INTERNATIONAL, NATIONAL, AND STATE EXHIBITIONS Art of the Animal Kingdom XVIII, 2013, Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT. Oregon Waterways Exhibit, 2012,Giustina Gallery, Corvallis,OR. 19th Annual Maritime Art Exhibit, 2012, Coos Art Museum, Coos Bay, OR. 47th Annual Aqueous Media Exhibition, 2012, Watercolor Society of Oregon, Portland, OR. 3rd Annual Laumeister Fine Art Competition, 2011, Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT, (Viewer’s Choice Award). Watercolor Society of Oregon 46th Annual Aqueous Media Exhibition 2011, Eugene, OR. Watercolor Society of Oregon 45th Annual Transparent Watercolor Exhibition 2010, Salem, OR, (2nd Place, People’s Choice Award, & Statewide Touring Exhibit). 2010 Aqueous Open, Pittsburgh Watercolor Society’s 64th Annual International Exhibition, Pittsburgh, PA. 31st Annual International Marine Art Exhibition, 2010, The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT. Maritime Miniatures by Maritime Masters, 2010, The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT. Emerald Spring Exhibition,2010, Emerald Art Center,Springfield OR. Northwest Watercolor Society 2010 70th Annual Open Exhibition, Seattle WA. Watercolor Society of Oregon 45th Annual Aqueous Media Exhibition 2010, Brookings, OR, (Award of Distinction, Statewide Touring Exhibit). WAS-H 2010 33rd International Exhibit, Watercolor Art Society Houston, 2010, Houston, TX,(Merit Award). National Watercolor Society 89th Annual Exhibition, 2009, La Brea, CA. 2009 Aqueous Open, Pittsburgh Watercolor Society’s 63rd Annual International Exhibition, , Pittsburgh, PA. Maritime Miniatures by Maritime Masters 2009, The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT. Thirtieth Annual International Marine Art Exhibition, 2009, The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT. Emerald Spring Exhibition, 2009, Emerald Art Center, Springfiled OR, (Butler Family Gold Medal Award). Birds in Art, 2008, 1992, 1989,1988 Leigh Yawkey Woodsen Art Museum, Wausau, WI. Wildlife: The Artist's View, 1996, 1993, 1990 Leigh Yawkey Woodsen Art Museum, Wausau, WI. Wildlife and Environmental Art Show, 1987,Los Angeles Audubon Society, Los Angeles, CA, (Best of Show and Morris and Perron Merit Award). Aqueous Open'87, 1987, Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, Pittsburgh, PA. Merit Award. American Artists Professional League's 58th Grand National Exhibi­tion, 1986, Salmagundi Club, NW. Aqueous Open'86, 1986, Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, Pittsburgh, PA.