RAiR | 1978-79

Janell WichT

Mixed-media artist Janell Wicht has had 39 years of RAiR and Roswell influence on her artmaking. Janell first arrived in Roswell from her MFA at Ohio State University in October of 1978 for a year residency and then luckily returned in October 2008 for a RAiR Alumni Residency. Over the years, she has called Roswell a second home. Janell was excited to join in the 50th anniversary celebration to honor Don and Sally Anderson and the RAiR vision. Influences in Janell's abstract work comes from morphing her interest in color, patterning, textures, maps, music and the landscape.

“Expressive art offers a painless, accessible entry into a sacred realm. 

Philosophically, I think one of the significant roles of today’s art is to help us as human beings reconnect our outer sensing selves with our inner emotive selves through the basic elemental language of color, shape, and line.  By making a more conscious connection to our integrated selves, we as humans are raised out of our instant gratification materialism into our intuitive sacredness.

As an artist, I am called to translate my own authentic vision in the hopes of facilitating integrated connection for others, with others. My own organic expressiveness comes from my love of capturing: the conversation of color relationships, the fluid nature of paint, the surprise of found materials, the primal directness of drawing, and the boldness offered by living awake.”

—Janell Wicht, 2010