By Barbara Arnstein
This summer, banners featuring original art, including flowers, trees, birds, buildings, animals and abstract works, will be displayed on banners in downtown Jamestown, NY. The paintings from which they were reproduced will be display at the Chautauqua Art Gallery at 318 North Main Street in Jamestown.
The colorful variety of subjects depicted on the banners include: depictions of Blue Jays (in both color and black & white), a ginger cat, a sailboat, the reflection in water of a
hillside with greenery, pink & yellow flowers, leaves in shades of blue, a dogwalker, beautiful skies, and more.
One of the artists whose work was chosen to be made into a banner is Janet Mandel, who has received regional, national and international acclaim for her art. She has been a professional artist for over fifty years, and since 1995, she has specialized in detailed watercolors and colored pencil portraits of domestic and wild animals. Some of her works uniquely feature a wild bird perched on a household object with an intricate pattern that dramatically contrasts with the birds’ plumage.
The artwork of hers that was made into a banner is entitled “Misty Marsh” and depicts a heron. Her latest works feature a barred owl, a female cardinal, and a fawn encircled by leaves. Other works from recent years include a lion cub, new in 2022, and a group portrait of wild birds entitled “A Year of Songbirds”, including a cardinal and a goldfinch.
On September 2nd and 3rd, she will be part of the Chatauqua County Art Trail. On September 9th and 10th, her art will be at the Warren County Fairgrounds in Pittsfield, PA, and from October 13th through the 15th, it will be at the Capital Art & Craft Festival, at Dulles Expo Center, in Chantilly, VA. Her studio is located at 747 Abbey Hill Road in Kennedy, NY, and from November 6th through the 10th, she will have her annual, week-long Open House there. Her website is www.janetmandel.com. To contact her, email janet_mandel@hotmail.com or call (716) 267-9525.