Continuing with the teachings of Josef Albers and the Bauhaus' creed "Less is More", Janet Siegel Rogers seeks color interaction using a limited pallette. Light affects our perception of color in all painting, but in her luminous, glowing paintings the light is active from within the paint layers, energizing her glorious colors with an ever-changing liveliness. Beeswax mixed in oil paint suspends the layers of pigments and allows light into the surface of the painting. This process also holds the impression of her brushstrokes and allows her to weave over the surface of her layered colors a rhythm movement and a tapestry of texture.
Washington art critic Anastasia McBride stated, "Light bouncing from one layer of oil encaustic to another creates an infinite array of hues and tones... the artist's vigorous brushwork also causes the light to refract and the surface to move... it is the light emanating from within which makes this work profound."
Rogers' life experience has naturally influenced her work, and it is interesting to reflect on the impact her six years in the Far East have had on her aesthetic sensibilities. She continues to travel and teach teachers and students for the College Board as an Advanced Placement Studio Art Consultant. Janet holds three degrees, B.A., M.A. and a M.F.A. from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Janet comments, "We can't stop learning" - which is evident from her deeply held philosophies about painting, color interaction and art. Janet lives near the beach where she can observe the beautiful effects of light on water, and the visually powerful meeting of sky and water in the line of the horizon. The artist notes, "The Everglades, the skies and the waters all influence my work". Her painting is simple yet intellectually and visually complex, her technique original in its application and ancient in its origins. Such paradoxes form the foundation of art in our times, making Janet as accurate in her reflection of our philosophical climate as she is a reflection of the shimmering colors of our natural world.