By BRIANNA PHILLIPS
The Sun
On the lower level of the Cherry Hill library, visitors can find an art gallery with a rotating monthly showcase. And for the rest of this month, they can view the work of Hartford Art School graduate Janet Stern.
The library held an introductory meet the artist event on May 9, when visitors saw the new installation alongside Stern herself. She not only interacted with the visitors, but was open to questions about her creative process.
Stern spent roughly three weeks completing a collection specifically for the library exhibit. The series features a variety of landscapes, birds and geometrical forms specifically created to be visually appealing to viewers of all ages.
“I paint for roughly two to three hours per session,” Stern explained. “There is an intense physicality involved in the making of each piece,” she added as she demonstrated how each work is created on the floor.
Stern first builds her own wooden canvases. Each framed work of art on the library walls was fully constructed by her own hand in every sense of the word. After frame construction, Stern places the canvas on the ground and begins painting.
When creating art, she can typically be found crouching around her work, constantly moving around and rarely taking a moment to sit in one place.
“Blackbirds in a Whimsical Landscape” is among art by Janet Stern on display at the Cherry Hill library.
What makes Stern’s artwork unique is the technique she employs when creating her pieces. Actual designs themselves have been etched into the initial wet paint applied to the canvas. That being said, Stern only has so much time to develop how she wants each piece to look.
“After the initial painting, you have to work quickly,” she pointed out. “Acrylic paint dries incredibly fast.”
Stern has been creating art ever since she was a small child. She found herself drawn to the creative process and attests to the fact that it has held an incredibly positive impact on her mental health.
“I can’t go without working for too long,” she acknowledged. “Or else I feel myself getting nervous.”
While Stern spent four years studying at Hartford Arts in Connecticut, she found herself truly coming into her artistic style after college. With her newfound freedom from assignments and specific curriculums, a new world of art had opened up to her.
As Stern has developed her voice as an artist, she draws inspiration from the likes of Jean Dubuffet and Jennifer Bartlett, who can be observed within her showcase by those with a keen artistic eye. She also found herself inspired by artists such as post-Impressionist Vincent Van Gogh and abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock for the pieces in the library collection.
Janet Stern’s “Bluebird in a Colorful Landscape.”
While the library walls feature a multitude of her paintings, the collection does not even begin to scratch the surface of her artistic career. Stern has created several different series over the years comprised of nearly 500 individual works.
“I don’t have favorites,” she stated, firm in her position that she appreciates each of her paintings equally, no matter how many she produces.
To have art featured at the library, contact Valerie Carita at (856) 903-1205 or vcarita@chplnj.org.
