Meet the Artist: Janet Mishner

August 2023—Janet Mishner, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, taught art in elementary school until she had the first of three children. When they all had entered school, she expanded her education in fine art in two unconventional ways. First, she became a docent for the Baltimore Museum of Art, where she went to learn her “heritage as an artist.” This experience included meeting many international artists including Cindy Sherman and Richard Serra who visited the museum when their work was exhibited and spoke to the docents. After four years of what she has called the “equivalent of a Master’s Degree in Art History,” she felt it was time to begin her own career as an artist. Mishner’s mother, a painter, recommended the well-known abstract artist and teacher Gladys Goldstein who will “teach you about color,” when she was asked by her daughter to recommend the best in depth fine art instruction.

Upon moving to Sarasota in 2002, Mishner became active at Art Center Sarasota and eventually in the Women Contemporary Artists. Several years later she was invited to join the prestigious and historical professional women painters’ group Petticoat Painters. She continues to be active in both organizations. Six years ago, she rented a studio in the Northgate Business Park, where she works today, sharing a spacious, high ceiling, light filled studio with artist Linda Richichi.

Her work is in private and public collections including Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, Florida Cancer Specialists, and the United States Embassy in Manilla. She has participated in many group shows and solo exhibitions, most recently at her Sarasota gallery, Art Uptown. She works in both figurative and abstract modes. Her most recent series of abstract paintings, “Connection v. Isolation/Grids” was inspired by her experiences during the pandemic.

“I have often thought about the conflict between the human need for socialization and intimacy and the imperative for isolating and distancing during Covid. I found the way to express this idea was through use of a grid, and that’s how I began the series.” Her paintings range in size 30 inches square to 5 feet square. More of her work can be found at her website, www.janetmishner.com.