JANNA VANDERVEEN
Fiction Author & Artist
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The wind, the trees, All bend their knees As love flies next to me, Like lightest air It touches my hair And slowly wakens me. I sigh its name The soft refrain Like water, drenches me. Its eyes meet mine Warm flowers that shine And knows the depths of me. This garden of light Where lovers delight Has won the heart of me. ~ Janna Vanderveen
You prepare a table Within this valley of beauty And my tears flow For I know I am in good hands You and me together. ~ Janna Vanderveen
When you speak, Wild things rise and shine, All a flutter, And my dreams flourish, Golden in light. ~ Janna Vanderveen
Golden light grows In this secret garden green, With verdant blossoming flowers Dripping lush nectar sweet. Tantalizing magic is its song. ~ Janna Vanderveen
“Knock, and he will open the door. Vanish, and he will make you shine like the sun. Fall, and he will raise you to the heavens. Become nothing, and he will turn you into everything.” ~ Rumi. I completed this 8 x 10 painting using Daniel Smith and Winsor Newton Professional Watercolor Paints and Luminance Pencils by Caran D’ache. Painting inspired by a photo taken of a ball-jointed doll created by artist… Read More
When the rocks cry out And animals sing They boast of love And peaceful things. Each hallowed night With reverent tone They linger in the embrace Of their Holy Unknown. ~ Janna Vanderveen This 16″ x 20″ painting was completed using Golden acrylics, FW inks, a variety of ephemera, chalk pastels, Derwent Inktense pencils, Caran D’ache watercolor crayons, and Luminance Pencils.
Kindness intoxicates, its aroma smelling of unconditional love while its beauty rivals the most verdant of blossoming flowers. May we choose today to be intentional in our thoughts and actions as we live out lives of kindness.
You flourish beneath my wings And your beauty shines. I call you my greatest treasure And I name you wonderful, For you are my beloved And your worth knows no bounds. ~ Janna Vanderveen This 16″x20″ painting was completed using Golden Acrylic paint, FW acrylic inks, Caran D’ache Neocolor II and Luminance Pencils, Derwent Inks, Tombow Markers, Ephemera, and Alcohol Inks.
As I was placing the final details on this painting, I had tears leaking down my cheeks. I’d been listening to a song on repeat for several hours and its words touched my heart, awakening a new vision of love in a powerful way. “No lie, no fear, no tragedy, could keep you from loving me. From the mountain, to the earth below, your mercy won’t let me go. How great, how… Read More
There are moments when I layer prose into my paintings. Amidst the layers of ephemera, inks, watercolors, and acrylics, I nestle words of encouragement, whispers of hope, and expressions of gratitude. I like the idea of hiding within each piece of art, a secret letter of love, that maybe some will see and others will feel. I scrawl my thoughts in French, since it’s considered the language of love and it’s appearance… Read More
I almost…almost threw away this painting. It’s ugly stage lasted way too long, and I thought it was not salvageable, especially since I was trying out some new art supplies to go along with an art course, She blooms in Ink, by Tamara Laporte. Refusing to give in, I doggedly persisted. I have to admit, I like how she finally turned out. For this painting, I used Tombow watercolor markers, Jane Davenport… Read More
I recently completed a Fancy Lassies art class by Kate Thompson. This is my first attempt at painting a fancy lassies whimsical girl. It was fun to lay down paint in an impressionistic style.
One of my favorite on-line art teachers is Tamara Laporte from willowing.org in South England. An accomplished artist and soon to be author, she has mastered the craft of creating whimsical characters on paper. She recently completed a series of paintings using only a few Tombow markers and some Caran d’ache neocolor crayons. I was intrigued by the simplicity of her supplies and the complexity of her pieces, and thought that I’d try to emulate her work. I had to… Read More
Like the tulip which lifts its head in silence, Revealing blossoms the color of crimson, Your beauty also shines forth, Revealing your value and worth. ~ Janna Vanderveen
It’s spring break, the kids are home from school, and writing is NOT happening. I should be throwing myself into book 2, but have decided to instead show myself grace by giving myself permission to do a few other creative things, like catching up on thank you notes. I followed a Danielle Donaldson tutorial to create this card, which combined my creative hobby loves – watercolor painting, sewing, and mixed media layering. It was fun! And through it all, I… Read More
My tulips are red In this vase of blue With petals so sweet They blossom for you. ~ Janna Vanderveen (Click on thumbnail for full-resolution image)
Glazing washes of watercolor (the art of grisaille) involves layering translucent colors to create a range of values that glow. If that sounds easy, guess again. There are days that I feel blind, like a child trying to make sense of letters on a page while learning to read. In truth, I am training my brain to see beyond the obvious, in hopes of interpreting the shadows and tones to enhance the light. Oh to attend a watercolor class by… Read More
Grander earth has quaked beforeMoved by the sound of His voiceSeas that are shaken and stirredCan be calmed and broken for my regard Through it all, through it allMy eyes are on You LordThrough it all, through it allIt is well with me. ~ Kristene DiMarco Reference Photo Inspiration: Heidi from One Girl Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/onegirlphoto/4525231113/in/album-72157623382989087
Watercolor attempt #15 Art day is always fun with my children. We pile the kitchen table high with markers, papers, crayons, pencils, paints, etc…and go to town creating. My kids hunker around me and we bond. 🙂 My middle-born son drew Pixel World. My daughter illustrated a heart with her best friend Bella on it, and her cousin. In a sad twist of fate, we lost it. However, she’s not let that get her down, promising to… Read More
The windows of my soul I throwWide open to the sun.~John Greenleaf Whittier  A watercolor study of John Lovett’s work.
MY COMMUNITY
Sweetheart by Janna Etsy Shop
JANNA VANDERVEEN 