Stuart Janssen

Artist Statement:

I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t making art. As a child it was something I took salvation in as a means of standing out. I wasn’t particularly gifted at any sport, and being in the classes for children with learning disabilities left me appearing and feeling inferior as well. But by the 4th grade I had a keen understanding of 3-dimensional forms and the ability to draw them far exceeding that of my classmates. My inherent ability to draw things helped give me a niche and a means of expression.

All pictures make a story of sorts; that fact fascinates me is reflected in my work. The stories told by my work are often unclear to me as I'm making them. It is only after I have had time to look at them as a viewer that I begin to understand them.

This also why I often title my works after the music that I listened to while in the process of creating them; the tone of the music often reflects the tone of the imagery, even if at the time I did not know it.