Beauty for the Mind's Eye

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I feel very fortunate to have a friend like Jeannette Caruth who can transform canvas and paint into the stuff which dreams are made of. For a brief hour today, this painting graced our living room like a window into history.

Her impression of Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party was so powerful that it left us all speechless. To fully appreciate what she has done, you should know that this was the first time she had painted faces.

We were able to view this treasure because I was photographing it for her portfolio. I would love to be able to afford it, but she has gone from being almost completely unknown to being eagerly sought after in less than a year. She is self-taught, yet her skill and her production continue to increase month by month.

There is something else about her painting that you might be able to see when you compare it to the original. Jeannette is very spiritually aware and whether she intended to or not, she has imbued the subjects with more life than appears in the original. I'm sure that Renoir captured these people as they appeared to him. It's just that the subjects in her painting have the same facial features, but every one of them seems more alive. Go figure!

She and her husband have supported themselves for several years by selling their paintings and other works at craft shows all over Virginia. I first met her when she was delivering her hand painted greeting cards to a small coffee shop near my home. I was so struck by her gracious manner and the friendly interest with which she viewed the world that I introduced myself. We have stayed in touch since then. I have seen her work expand from small paintings to murals to impressions like the one above in less than a year.

Life is not easy as an artist, but she and her husband,Tom, have stuck to their craft and are finally getting the recognition their work deserves. She has earned her success the hard way...by creating it. Her paintings communicate her attitude about life. This is definitely beauty for the mind's eye.

I have placed a legend on the painting so you are welcome to use it as a desktop image. If you are interested in seeing more of her work, you will have to wait for her website, but I will relay email inquiries.

Remember her name, Jeannette Caruth, and the fact that you saw her work on this weblog. If all goes well, there should be more to show in the future.

Comments

[Da Goddess]

Incredible! What a talent....I wish I could do that!

[marie]

Jeanette is yet another example of how those who are self-taught often break-through boundries in the art world. Amazing work for someone with little formal instruction. I wish I could translate what I see from my eyes to my hands!

[anonymous gurl]

What a truly beautiful painting. What a true talent!!! I love art and I am always in awe that stuff so beautiful can be created from the mind's eye. It is a talent I wish that I was blessed with, but we are all given our own talents to do what we wish. It is truly breath-taking. Thank you for sharing. Thank Jeanette for the translation of the mind's eye. I understand. (I am still in awe that she had never painted faces before--and yet, how does one create such beauty? I always ponder that question with art and painting. How? And, then I stop questioning and enjoy it for what it is--majestic beauty. Gale

[David]

I should have clarified the mind's eye concept. That was my choice of words for the way in which one might view Jeannette's art. Her art turns on mental image pictures for me and for almost everyone who views it. Hence, this art not only for the eye, but for the mind's eye.

Her paintings go beyond mere composition of light and shadow, they seem to create an effect within the minds of those who view her art. The response one feels is spiritual, rather than simple appreciation of beauty.