About Janet lynn Zuk
I'm an identical twin!
I am an acrylic painter that lives in Lawrence, Kansas. I was born an identical twin in Eureka, Kansas and didn’t move to the big city until I was eight years old. It was idyllic and I was fearless of my exploration of the world which never faltered even when I moved to the larger cities including Kansas City and Denver Metros.
My mother was adopted, but of Native American descent, and a teacher of History and World Religions who wanted to ensure her children understood the reality of the world around them and respected all people. My grandparents only reinforced that by their joy in every moment with their family when there had been so much uncertainty of ever having one. My Dad inspired a strong work ethic along with a strong sense of self-confidence.
I was expecting to be a history teacher
Some of my earliest memories as a child are of having a strong desire to be an artist and begging my grandparents, my great-grandmother, and anyone who would listen really for a request for a drawing. My first framed picture is one I completed for my great-grandmother in which she requested a horse. I clearly remember having no clue how to draw the hooves so I made the artistic decision to draw tall grass around the feet. I learned young to problem solve!
I went to college expecting to become a history teacher like my mother but ended up getting my degree in Fine Arts with emphasis in painting, drawing, printmaking, design and history with minors in history, education, psychology, sociology, women’s studies, and minority studies. I was curious about everything and everyone and I still am. I speak Spanish, and while not perfect, it has influenced my work along with artists such as Van Gogh, Oskar Kokoshka, Kay Walkingstick, Diego Rivera, and Aaron Douglas.
School was a great influence surrounded by truly exceptional teachers, but the landscape I grew up with and my love of all things the Flint Hills, sunsets, and nature have had a great impact on my work. I do a mixture of landscape and figurative work and while the influences of the landscapes is obvious, the figurative work is fueled by my desire to make my work reflect the joy and beauty of the people around me.
"-bright colors, high contrast, and a layering technique..."
I want people to have a sense of fun and joy when they look at my work, but also a sense of belonging and beauty. I have a couple of series that will probably be ongoing for life including one on reading, one on vices, and another on ballerinas.
My work is characterized by bright colors, a strong linear quality, high contrast, and a layering technique of light washes to create dimension.
I never run out of ideas because the world around me makes me want to never stop because I see so much beauty. Currently I am obsessing over the Flint Hills and the many variations of blue the sky comes in which seems endless to me at this moment: much like the horizon while witnessing a beautiful sunset.
Where did "blue apple art" come from
"It came from a dream"
The inspiration for the blue apple came about from a dream actually. Most of the dream is unimportant except for a few details. In the dream it was my birthday and even though I was only eighteen or nineteen in reality, in the dream I knew I was much older: somewhere in my forties or fifties. As part of the dream, people were coming by my home presenting me with presents and they were expensive and wonderful presents, and I expressed my thanks, but I was most interested in a fruit basket sitting on the kitchen shelf right next to my yellow rotary phone.
The basket was filled with fruit and it was obvious by shape what each fruit was, but all of them were the wrong color. Right on top was sitting the blue apple and I was drawn to it. As I picked it up, I realized across the skin of the apple were waves breaking across the surface and I could see the surf as it moved across the circumference of the skin. It was breathtaking.
I felt such a temptation to bite into the apple but at the same time, did not want to ruin such beauty. Temptation did win and I took the bite. And even though they say your taste is suspended during sleep, the memory of that bite would make me salivate for as much as ten years later. The memory has sadly faded with time however, and I no longer remember what it tasted like.
As I pulled away to look at the apple again and see if the waves were still there (they were), but now the apple was transformed with a beautiful sky on the inside and perfect puffy white little clouds moving across a perfect cerulean blue.