Janet Goleas

to come, 2020

Reflections
Coronavirus has been terrifying and has altered nearly everything in my life and the life of my son. Our expectations are foggy, but they will come into focus as we find new footing. I’m gratified that the skies are clearing, that wildlife is finding new balance, that even seismic activity has decreased. The flaws in our systems have been laid bare, and the ruthless greed of the 21st century is now exposed. I have many hopes, but a primary one is that the world learns that renewal is more important than financial gain. Lighting candles for the world and for our shared sense of renewal.

Artist Statement
My painting is an exploration of process, structure, and geometries that shift between depths. I paint with loose swaths of color and form that move about the picture plane seeking and gradually defining an interior anatomy. Gesture and precision are fundamental to these works, and I enjoy the movement and slather of the brush as it seeks to balance rhythm, awkwardness, and resolve. I want to marry the visceral and the absolute, and to anchor the composition with resolute abstract form. I’m interested in the oppositional – precision and disorder, singularity and multiplicity, solid and void – and feel I operate best in-between these visual contradictions. 

Janet Goleas
to come, 2020

Janet Goleas
to come, 2020

Biography
Janet Goleas studied painting and receiving both her BFA and MFA at the San Francisco Art Institute. She developed her practice while teaching and exhibiting widely on the west coast, moving to New York City in 1983. There, Goleas moved from site-specific installation and sculptural works she had become known for to canvas painting. In 1997, she moved to Long Island’s east end first teaching at Southampton College, then becoming Director of Education at Guild Hall in East Hampton. Her practice evolved in this new environment, expanding to include not only painting but critical writing, curating, and lecturing. Goleas has exhibited her works in Europe and the U.S., most recently at Parrish Art Museum’s exhibition, “Artists Choose Artists.”