Janis Mattson was born in Vermont, and has lived there most of her life. She has always loved animals both wild and domesticated. She has also always loved to draw, and often her subjects are furry or feathered. She takes numerous photographs as reference material to work from. 

 

She studied art and art history at the University of Vermont.  She worked for several years in interior design. In the early 90s she started her own business doing freelance etchings on monuments for the local granite manufacturers. That brought her back closer to her fine arts background. After almost 20 years at that profession she returned to pencil drawing and continues to be busy refining her work.  She enjoys working with both graphite and colored pencils. She has had work juried into numerious exhibitions including the Society of Animal Artists' "Art and the Animal", The Bennington Center for the Arts "Art of the Animal Kingdom" and the prestigious Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's "Birds in Art". She is a Signature Member of the Society of Animal Artists and the Academic Artists Association.

She currently lives with her longtime partner and fellow artist Doug Aja, in an 1840's farmhouse they have been busy restoring in Waterford, Vermont.

 

Artist's Statement:

 

“Light is so important when capturing a moment on paper. My goal when drawing is to not only do an interesting composition or subject, but to present it in an eye catching way. With dramatic lighting ordinary subjects can become extraordinary".

 

Current and Past Exhibitions:

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*2019 Audubon Artists 77th Annual Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, 47 5th Ave., New York, NY  "Soft White" October 28th to November 8, 2019

*2019  59th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Animal Artists, The Briscoe Western Art Museum, El Paso, TX  "Pie Birds" Sept. 19 2019 - January 1, 2020.

*2019 Academic Artists 69th Annual National Exhibition of Traditional Realism,  Vernon, CT  "Foreshadow" Show dates: June 2-23

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2018 Kentucky National Wildlife Art Exhibit, Henderson, KY  "Repose" & "Red-tailed Hawk" 

2018 9th Annual Nature and Wildlife Exhibit, St. Augustine Art Association, St Augustine, FL "Winter Blue Jay"

2018 85th Annual Juried Exhibition of the Hudson Valley Art Association, Lyme Art Association, Old Lyme, CT  "Foreshadow"

2018  58th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Animal Artists, The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art, St Petersburg, FL  "Soft White"

2018 Academic Artists 68th Annual National Exhibition of Traditional Realism,  Vernon, CT  "On The Edge" 

2017 8th Annual Nature & Wildlife Exhibit, St. Augustine Art Association, St. Augustine, FL, "In the Spotlight"

2017 42nd Annual Birds In Art Exhibition, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI, "Foreshadow"

2017 Wildscapes, The Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT, "Winter Blue Jay"

2017 Black and White, The Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT,  "Snowy Perch"

2017 Small Works, The Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT, "Fall Feast"

2017 Academic Artists 67th Annual National Exhibition of Traditional Realism, "In The Spotlight", Vernon, CT   (Blick Art Materials Award)

2016 Pencil Art Society, International Open Juried Exhibition, Ottawa, ON,  "The Prize"

2016 Academic Artists 66th Annual National Exhibition of Traditional Realism, "Crabapple Harvest", Vernon, CT

2016 Small Works, Bennington Center For The Arts, Bennington, VT ,  "Precocious Pig"

2015 Richeson 75 Animals, Birds and Wildlife International Competition"; "In the Spotlight (finalist), "On the Edge" (finalist), "The Keen Observer' (finalist) and "Splash" (meritorious)

 2015 87th Grand National Exhibition", American Artist's Professional League (AAPL),  Salmagundi Club, 47 Fifth Ave., New York, NY, "Three's a Pear"

2015 Pencil Art Society, Online Members Juried Exhibition, , "On the Edge" and "In the Spotlight".

2015 Laumeister Fine Art Competition, Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT,  "On the Edge" and "In the Spotlight".

2015 Art of the Animal Kingdom XX, Bennington Center For the Arts, Bennington, VT, "The Eyes Have It" and "The Prize"

2014 AAPL 86th Grand National Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, 47 Fifth Ave., New York, NY, "Crabapple Harvest".

2014 Pencil Art Society, International Open Juried Exhibition, The Repentigny Exhibition Center, Repentigny, Quebec, "Black-capped Chickadee", "Getting A Hand Out" and "Tulip".

2014 54th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Animal Artists,  The Wildlife Experience in Parker, CO, "Splash"

2014 Small Works, Bennington Center For The Arts, Bennington, VT,  "Ely"

2014 Art of the Animal Kingdom XIX, Bennington Center For The Arts, Bennington, VT,  "Golden Gaze"

2013 Laumeister Fine Art Competition, Bennington Center For the Arts, Bennington, VT, "Crabapple Harvest"

2013 Small Works, Bennington Center For the Arts, Bennington< VT ,  "Splash"

 

Memberships:

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Artist Member, Academic Artists Association

Signature Member of SAA (The Society of Animal Artists)

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Honors and Awards:

 

2018 Kentucky National Wildlife Art Exhibit, Henderson, KY,  John Stanley Hoffman Memorial Award

​2017-Academic Artists Association 67th Annual National Exhibition of Traditional Realism, Blick Art Materials Award, "In the Spotlight"

2017-Master Artist Member, The Bennington Collective, The Bennington Center for the Arts

2014-American Artist Professional League Portrait Theme Show, Award Winner in the Animal Category, Technique/Use of Medium, "Splash"

2014-American Artist Professional League Still Life Theme Show,  Award Winner, Technique Medium, "End of Summer Vegetable Medley"