’Passion, love and a life-long affinity with animals is what drives internationally acclaimed, Canberra Australia-based artist, Janet Thatcher, to create her inspiring, photo-realistic works in pastel pencil and velour. ‘I strive to bring beauty and inspiration into people’s lives, bring a piece of the wild right into their homes’.
From pet portraits to exotic wildlife, Janet specialise in not only capturing the essence of the individual but also the likeness. Her attention to detail sets Ms Thatcher’s work apart, each hair is painstakingly rendered, creating an intensely tactile and sensory work of art. ‘’There is something there and I want to explore what binds us through the use of colour, texture and detail.
The recipient of many awards, Thatcher has appeared both here in Australia, and countries such as the USA and UK on television and in several magazine publications. Her work has appeared in many exhibitions and has been acquired by collectors all over the world with her episode of Colour In Your Life’ being selected as part of the NASA SpaceX program which will see it archived on the moon.
Graeme Stevenson, of Colour in Your Life, says, ‘By any means, a young lady with a simply amazing ability.’ Barry Chappell, of Art and Coin, wrote, ‘You are a GREAT ARTIST—one of the best I have seen in my 25 years.’
Thatcher’s current works feature intense detail and emotion, offset against smaller, portrait-style offerings, where the viewer can feel as if they stand face-to-face with the subject. 'My artwork conveys emotion, movement and the essence of an animal—a moment in time, where one can catch a glimpse of the individual spirit, hidden beneath.'