JANIE BENZIE

Janie is a graduate of Claremont School of Art and has been painting professionally for 15 years.  She paints with a variety of mediums and in different genres to express her creativity.

Her work is primarily about her past and time spent with her Mother and Grandmother. Her lighting is dramatic with heavy darks, reminiscent of the darkened rooms that her Mother preferred.  She is also exploring her femininity and revelling in being a female and enjoying depicting the sensual objects relating to her gender

Janie has been drawing life studies of models for 20 years and often uses these sketches as the basis of paintings in acrylic or oil and most recently ,ink.  in Fremantle. Janie is a traditionalist and prefers to paint realistically using the age-old techniques of the masters.  Her main genre is still life.

Before starting Artspace Janie was part of the "Open-Bite Studio",Fremantle. This was a collection of artists, who had all graduated from Claremont School of Art.  The Studio participated in the Fremantle Festival, putting on exhibitions, which coincided with the theme of the Festival.  Open-Bite also had regular exhibitions in the studio space and larger exhibitions at the Moores Building in Fremantle 

Janie paints in watercolour, oil, acrylic and pastels and teaches watercolour, oil and pastels in her gallery. She feels that art should never stand still, and teaching, enables her not only to pass on her techniques and skills, but also to learn from those she teaches.

Janie had a solo exhibition in 2010and works from this can  still be viewed under the title "Presence" on the exhibition page.

PRIZES

2010 City of Melville Art Prize
         Highly commended

     
2006 City of Melville Art Prize
          Highly commended

2005 Town of Mosman Part Art Awards
          Highly commended

2002  City of Melville Art Prize
           Highly commended

1999   Northam Art Prize
            Highly commended

1998   Northam Art Prize
            First Prize

EXHIBITIONS

2010 Solo Exhibition - "Presence" - Artspace Gallery - Nedlands
2010 "Favourites" exhibition - Artspace Gallery - Nedlands
2009 "Beyond Botanica" - Artspace Gallery  - Nedlands

2008   “Christmas Exhibition” – Artspace Gallery, Nedlands
2007    “Christmas Exhibition” – Artspace Gallery, Nedlands
2006   “Of Two Views” – Artspace Gallery, Nedlands

2006   “Mix” – Artspace Gallery, Nedlands
2007   MLC Collegians and Friends Exhibition, Methodist Ladies’ College, Claremont
2006   City of Melville Art Prize Exhibition, Council Chambers, Melville
2005   City of Melville Art Prize Exhibition, Council Chambers, Melville
2004   “Laughter” - Open Bite Studio, Fremantle
2005   MLC Collegians and Friends’ Exhibition, Methodist Ladies’ College, Claremont
2003   “Open Bite at the Moores” – Moores Building, Fremantle
2002   “Maritime Exhibition” – Open Bite Studio, Fremantle
2002   City of Melville Art Prize Exhibition
2003   MLC Collegians and Friends’ Exhibition, Methodist Ladies’ College, Claremont
2001   “Quartet” – Accent Gallery, Nedlands
2001   MLC Collegians and Friends’ Exhibition, Methodist Ladies’ College, Claremont
1999   Northam Art Prize Exhibition
1999   MLC, Collegians and Friends Exhibition, Methodist Ladies’ College, Claremont
1998   Northam Art Prize Exhibition
1996   “Five at Amberley”- Amberley Gallery, Yallingup
1996   MLC Collegians and Friends Exhibition, Methodist Ladies’ College, Claremont