[Blue watercolor foot with cigarette]
Watercolor painting--United States--20th century. [LCSH]
Foot in art [LCSH]
Surrealism [LCSH]
Ink and watercolor painting of a person's right leg and foot, from the shin down, with a cigarette held between the first and second toes. The skin is painted a blue color, with the leg originating from the top edge of the paper, and the toenails are painted red. The blue of the skin varies in color from light, baby blue to darker blues, with the darker hues concentrated around the ankle, heel, instep, and along the left edge of the foot from the big toe to where the arch begins. The foot encompasses only half of the paper; the remaining paper has been left blank. It's not clear if the cigarette is lit or not; that end of the cigarette extends beyond the scope of the paper. The ink drawing outlines nearly the entire foot and adds details showing the location of the tendons on the instep of the foot, as well as the malleolus (the knobby bone on the side of the foot near the ankle). The pen outline doesn't quite extend all the way up the back of the calf, stopping about 1.5 centimeters from the edge of the paper. The paper is lighter-weight than many of the other watercolor papers in this collection, and more strongly textured. It is yellowed with age, and is further yellow-stained all along the edge on the side with the cigarette. The upper left-hand corner is lightly creased.
Gillett, Janice
1966-1973?
All rights held by Acacia Williams
Material: ink and watercolor on paper
Extent: 20.8 x 30.6 cm
Physical object
JG_0011
[Front and back watercolor paintings: Side A, trees; Side B, waterlilies]
Watercolor painting--United States. [LCSH]
Landscape painting--United States. [LCSH]
One sheet of watercolor paper is painted on both sides, with one side showing a terrestrial landscape with trees (side A) and the other showing an aquatic landscape with waterlilies (side B).
Side A depicts deciduous trees in summertime. There are two distinct frames in this painting. In the left-hand frame is a grove of what look to be paper birch trees; there are five, thin trees. They are white, with blue-gray shading and green foliage created by dabbing spots of green paint with a wet brush. Variations in the ratio of pigment to water create different shades of green for the foliage and the crowns are somewhat sparse and airy. The tree trunks and branches are angular and formed from straight lines. The foreground here is dark brown and green. At the base of the trees there are small white circular shapes in clusters connected by white lines. This effect may have been created with the use of masking fluid. Also at the base of the trees is dark green spattering as well as more solid-looking blobs in the same dark green; this may be representative of shrubs. The remainder of the land surrounding the trees is flat and grass-covered and painted in muted, transparent browns and greens, and the sky here is painted in varying saturations of pale blue. The right-hand frame shows a different type of tree, with deep brown bark accented with black lines which run from the roots of the tree to the uppermost branches. The tree has four visible roots and three main branches. This tree is curvy, with soft angles and lines and has an impression of massiveness. It's painted close to the foreground, and there are reddish-brown splotches around the base of the tree that probably represent bushes, perhaps dogwoods, although the could be any number of things. There are also errant purple spatters of paint in the foreground of this frame (which creep ever so slightly into the left-hand frame also). The foliage on this tree is a deeper, darker green and more saturated. The horizon behind the tree is irregular; in some places along the same axis grass is depicted behind the tree, and in some places, deep blue sky. This was probably considered a mistake and not intentional, however, this piece appears to have been created for practice and not intended to be a polished piece. (For example, a large portion of all four corners of the paper are white, where the paper was taped down to the working surface.) The shade of grass in the background differs slightly between the two frames here, being darker on the right-hand side, and lighter on the left. There are occasional burgundy spatters across the right hand frame which creep over somewhat into the left-hand frame, probably unintentionally. There's some embossed lettering-- TH SAU, perhaps?-- probably spelling out the brand of the paper, in the bottom, left-hand corner.
The painting on the other side of the paper shows the scene with waterlilies. There are two flowers, one in the center foreground, and one in the right background (in the upper right quadrant of the painting). Both flowers are white, with thin, elongated petals and gold-yellow stamens. Shading on the flower petals is conveyed via blue and blue-gray highlights. There are a total of eight lily pads in all, and they are a dark green; the lily pads farthest in the background have a slighter lighter saturation than those in the front. The stems of the lilies are represented as broken, usually squiggly lines and appear throughout the picture. The background in this image is composed of shades of deep burgundies and blue, with blue concentrated primarily in the foreground, with the transition to primarily burgundy taking place somewhere in the middleground. The background fades near the right and left edges of the painting, as the wet paint appears to have been pulled from the center of the paper toward the edges; nor does the paint extend in all places to the edge of the paper at the top and bottom of the painting.
The edges of the paper are irregular and rough on two of the four sides; on the lily pad painting, the rough edges are the bottom and left, and they are the right and bottom on the tree painting side. The paper seems to be medium weight, cold pressed.
Gillett, Janice
1990-2010?
All rights held by Acacia Williams
Medium: watercolor on paper
Extent: 38.3 x 28.5 cm
Physical object
JG_0021
[Ink and watercolor painting of Japanese village scene]
Watercolor painting--United States--20th century. [LCSH]
Japan--civilization--20th century. [LCSH]
Japan--civilization--pictorial works [LCSH]
Japanese in art [LCSH]
Watercolor and ink piece depicting a street scene in a Japanese town. A figure is depicted riding a bicycle along a deserted street next to a sidewalk. He is approaching the street corner and we cannot tell whether he will turn or carry on the road he's on now. At the edge of the sidewalk is a crumbling wall, painted in hues of yellow and green. Bricks and rubble appear to spill from the wall, and on the other side of the wall are dilapidated buildings in muted yellows and gray-blues; sometimes there is only the vaguest impression of color. The buildings vary in height and state of decay. Roofs are varying shades, from steel-gray to baby-blue and pink. The figure on the bicycle is wearing a red cape or cloak and a red traditional Japanese hat. Many of the details in this work are simply implied; for example, the figure on the bike has no visible legs, but we must assume that he is propelling the bicycle forward with them nonetheless. Lines are not always closed and colors are not always enclosed within the lines, leading to a dreamlike quality. It's possible this is a representation of a Japanese village after a bombing, but the street and sidewalk appear to be in good repair, so that's purely speculative. The sky in this image is left unpainted. The watercolor paper is medium-weight, deckled, and likely cold-pressed.
Gillett, Janice
1966-1973?
All rights held by Acacia Williams
Medium: ink and watercolor on paper
Extent: 34.7 x 23 cm
Physical object
JG_0018
[Unfinished drawing/painting: Woman on toilet]
Portrait drawing--United States--20th century. [LCSH]
Women in art [LCSH]
Aerial drawing and unfinished painting on watercolor paper depicting a female sitting on a toilet looking down into the bowl from her perspective. The female figure is visible from the stomach down to the feet (although only her left foot is visible). Her stomach is covered by a shirt, but she is otherwise nude, with her underwear stretched between her ankles. A figure in a rowboat appears in the toilet bowl between her thighs; the figure's gender cannot be determined. The person in the rowboat is holding two oars and sitting in the middle of the boat. The bow of the boat is pointed at approximately eight o'clock, toward the left thigh of the figure on the toilet and the stern is partially obscured by the vulva of the person the toilet. The only part of the work that is painted is the seat of the toilet, which is black. There is no obviously intended orientation for viewing this art--here it's shown with in a landscape orientation, but it could just as logically be viewed in portrait orientation, and there's no signature from the artist to offer a contextual clue, either. The paper is light to medium weight with a rougher texture than much of the other watercolor papers used throughout this collection.
Gillett, Janice
1966-1973?
All rights held by Acacia Williams
Medium: pencil and watercolor on watercolor paper
Extent: 38 x 28.4 cm
Physical object
JG_0022
[Watercolor flowers]
Watercolor painting--United States. [LCSH]
Flowers in art [LCSH]
Watercolor painting depicts flowering plants in colors of yellow, orange, and white. What look to be grey headed cone flowers are painted in a vibrant orange at the bottom left and upper right quadrants. A grouping of white-petaled flowers with golden centers that may be shepherd's needle is painted in the bottom right quadrant. In close to the center of the top half of the painting is a flower that may be white milkweed, with what's possibly an unopened, still green milkweed pod immediately to the left of the bloom. There are also three brown, spiky, globe-shaped, spent flower heads, possibly common burdock; one is near the center of the painting, and the others in the top left and bottom left quadrants. Green leaves and flower stems are also part of the painting.
Some of the white of the paper shows in the background, and the rest of the paper is an abstract backdrop of watercolor "blooms" in a sunny yellow, various shades of blue, and pale green. There are spatters of dark blue, yellow, and green paint across both the subject and the background. The paper is somewhat torn or peeling in a few places on the white milkweed, possibly because masking fluid was used there. Underlying pencil sketch is visible in places. The paper is medium weight, slightly translucent, and probably cold-pressed.
Gillett, Janice
1990 -2010?
All rights held by Acacia Williams
Medium: watercolor on paper
Extent: 38 x 27.5 cm
Physical object
JG_0004
[Watercolor painting of a drinking glass]
Watercolor painting--United States. [LCSH]
Tumblers (Drinking glasses) [LCSH]
Still-life painting [LCSH]
Watercolor painting on a drinking glass half filled with clear liquid (likely water). The cylindrical glass is taller than it is wide and widens slightly from the base to the top. It is viewed from the side. The background is painted in a wash of extremely pale gray-blue, with broad strokes and lots of white space left behind; the brushstrokes do not attempt to cover the entire paper. Because the liquid in the glass is clear, the background wash shows through the glass. The surface of the water is painted in darker shades of gray-blue, as is the bottom of the glass. There's a light reflection underneath the bottom of the glass; there is no apparent surface underneath the glass, so the image of the glass is simply floating in this painting. Dividing the painting into quadrants, the majority of the glass would appear in the center of the lower right-hand quadrant. The edges of the glass are implied in places, with thin, broken lines in shades of blue and gray-blue along the rim of the glass and the sides. Pencil sketch shows through still in places and helps define the edges further. The paper used here is much lighter weight and thinner than the paper used for the pieces in the rest of this collection and its texture is finer, as well. This paper looks to have been torn from a pad; there's evidence that the previous page didn't tear cleanly and a little bit of that page is attached to this page still along the top edge.
Gillett, Janice
1990-2010?
All rights held by Acacia Williams
Medium: watercolor on paper
Extent: 22.8 x 30.3 cm
Physical object
JG_0020
[Watercolor painting of a forest from a distance]
Watercolor painting--United States. [LCSH]
Landscape painting--United States. [LCSH]
Trees in art [LCSH]
Watercolor painting shows a forest in the distance. The painting is done in shades of brown and green. Colors range from opaque to transparent, with the foreground generally being darker and more opaque than the background. Trees vary in their solidity, with some merely being suggested. The foliage, in particular, is amorphous; only the tree trunks and branches are distinct. The tree branches and trunks vary in color from a lighter, burnt sienna brown to a very dark, chocolate brown. Three white projections in the foreground may be trees, but it's unclear; they do not have any leaves and are extremely abstract. White circles and near-circles, absent paint, appear in the foreground of the painting and it's not immediately clear what they are meant to represent, either. There are plenty of open spaces in the forest as well, and vegetation is suggested in these areas, perhaps shrubs, although the painting is loosely styled, so that can only be speculation. In all, the painting only takes up about between a third and half of the total surface area of the paper. The image is located about halfway between the top to bottom of the paper, and stretches the full width of the paper. The shape of the paper is somewhat irregular; it was clearly cut down from a larger piece of watercolor paper. The top edge is deckled; the other edges were trimmed, unevenly, with scissors. This watercolor paper appears to be medium, cold-pressed.
Gillett, Janice
1990-2010?
All rights held by Acacia Williams
Medium: watercolor on paper
Extent: 18.9 x 28.1 cm <em>(The second measurement is approximate as the paper is irregular; it represents the greatest extent in that dimension.)</em>
Physical object
JG_0001
[Watercolor painting of cigarette and smoke]
Watercolor paintings--United States. [LCSH]
Smoking in art [LCSH]
Watercolor painting of a smoldering cigarette and its smoke rising up into the air. This is a minimalist painting. Only the end of the cigarette appears at the very edge of the paper. (There is no definitive orientation from which to view this painting. In this case, it is oriented such that the cigarette appears at the bottom edge.) Less than a centimeter of the white paper shows, and just over a centimeter of the burning, red and black end. The cigarette is angled slightly right, and the off-white smoke it produces moves mostly straight up, meandering slightly to the left before dispersing outward, curling toward the left and right of the painting. The background is a gray-blue wash with splotches of color possibly created using a blooming technique. There's an errant, curved red line--it looks like red pen--about 9 cm left of the cigarette; this was probably an accident. There are also some yellow-brown spots staining the paper, mostly on and around the smoke; they, too, appear to be an imperfection as opposed to intentional. The paper used for this piece is lightweight for watercolor paper and roughly textured.
Gillett, Janice
1966-1973?
All rights held by Acacia Williams
Medium: watercolor on paper
Extent: 30.5 x 29.5 cm
Physical object
JG_0017
[Watercolor painting of trees in the fall]
Watercolor painting--United States. [LCSH]
Landscape painting--United States. [LCSH]
Trees in art [LCSH]
Watercolor painting shows an autumn landscape with a stand of trees in the middleground, a body of water in the foreground, and a clear, blue sky in the background. The trees stand in a grouping; seven can distinctly be made out. Their foliage is mostly red and orange with some of the lower leaves on the trees in the front of the stand and toward the back left of the stand still displaying some fading shades of green-brown. The foliage is somewhat sparse and created by dabbing paint rather than brushing it on. A handful of small paint spatters intended for the foliage escape and mar the sky. The shoreline is covered in vegetation in shades of brown and olive green using paint splattering and dabbing techniques. A solid line is visible underneath in places, however, between the land and sky; it's unclear whether that line is painted or is part of an underlying pencil sketch. The shoreline and trees are reflected in the blue water that runs the width of the lower third of the painting. The reflection appears to extend past the confines of the painting. Ripples in the water are depicted in a lighter color blue. The edges of the paper are irregular on three of the four sides; the only perfectly smooth, even edge is the left one. The bottom and right edges are deckled, while the top has clearly been cut with scissors. The paper is medium weight and likely cold pressed.
Gillett, Janice
1990-2010?
All rights held by Acacia Williams
Medium: watercolor on paper
Extent: 25.5 x 23 cm
Physical object
JG_0015
[Watercolor painting: Artist's daughter I]
Watercolor painting--United States. [LCSH]
Portrait painting--United States. [LCSH]
Children in art [LCSH]
Watercolor portrait of a young girl--the artist's daughter, here depicted likely around age five. The girl is facing the observer, although not squarely. The girl's body is merely suggested, but based on a related painting ([Artist's daughter II]) she is likely looking at the viewer over her right shoulder. The brushwork is loose and suggestive, more so than the artist's usual work. The girl's clothing appears to be white, with sky-blue accents around the shoulders. The girl's hair, which is just past shoulder-length and straight, is painted in various shades of browns on the left side of the piece, and browns and purples on the right side. The right side of the face, as seen by the observer, is less well-defined and appears to be in deeper shadow. The girl wears a neutral expression and her eyes appear to be cast slightly down and to her right. The eyes are painted in shades of gray. The background around the girl's head is painted an olive-brown color; it does not go to the edge of the paper and coverage varies with the white background showing through in several places where the brush was drier. White space is left around the edges of the painting. Some pencil lines are faintly visible from the original sketch. The paper itself is medium, cold-pressed, and cut cleanly along the bottom and right edges, but is deckle-edged along the left and top edges.
Gillett, Janice
1990-2010?
All rights held by Acacia Williams
<a href="https://waynestateu.omeka.net/items/show/545">[Artist's daughter II]</a>
Medium: watercolor on paper
Extent: 25.2 x 20.7 cm
Physical object
JG_005