Janet Austin

Janet Austin’s Artist Statement

My inspiration derives from the visual, not the intellectual or emotional. I allow nature to process itself through my eyes without the conscious interference of my brain, facilitating serendipity.

 “Chaos” and all of her children, grew out of an old oil painting of my messy studio table. I made color copies and cut out areas of interest. On a whim, I traced a fragment with a black colored pencil, marking both image and texture, and suddenly the fallen cone of yarn became a black hole in the universe. I’d finally found Chaos. In “Chaos: After the Storm,” there appears to be a period of calm after the storm. Who knows how long it will last?

Janet Austin’s Biography

Janet Austin learned to weave at Massachusetts College of Art, in 1972. After weaving and selling functional items for 8 years, she felt a yearning for images and earned an MFA in Painting at the University of NC, Greensboro. Almost accidentally the weaving and painting came together, and she has been weaving tapestries inspired by her paintings since 1983.

 Janet served on the board of the American Tapestry Alliance, and as coordinator of Tapestry Weavers in New England. She exhibits regionally, nationally, and internationally. She has been teaching tapestry for over 30 years, speaks to guilds and art groups, and demonstrates tapestry weaving whenever she can.