Whether it’s realistic portraits merging with bold flowers and bits of nature or large-scale wall murals of wild 
animals set against geometric backgrounds, Janice Rago’s art is surprising and bursting with life. With an incredible eye for color combinations and a resistance to stick to one artistic style, she creates pieces that span everything from minimalist abstracts to painstaking murals and several stunning collaborations with fellow local artist Lela Brunet.
A self-proclaimed Air Force brat, Rago was born in Hawaii and grew up in Germany, then England, before making it to Valdosta, Georgia — she graduated from Valdosta State University with a BFA in Studio Art.
With one influential professor by the name of Harry Ally, Rago went from focusing on graphic design to falling in love with oil painting. Pushing her past her comfort zones and challenging her to look past details and perfection, her professor helped her embrace the signature looseness that is seen in her art today. From Valdosta, Rago joined the art scene in Austin, showing in galleries and coffee shops, before answering the call to make Atlanta her new home.
Here, she talked with CommonCreativ about collaborating with her mom, growing in style and technique, and remembering that practice and persistence are everything.
CommonCreativ: What got you into art?
Janice Rago: My mom. She’s a really talented landscape painter and one of those rare people you come across that is great at everything she does. I remember watching her draw when I was younger and wanted to be as good.
CC: Have you and your mom collaborated on art?
JR: A few years back my mom and I collaborated on a painting where I painted a silhouette of a figure, and she did a beautiful landscape within it. It turned out pretty cool and was a fun way to bring our styles together. I taught her to paint with oils a few years ago, and it’s ridiculous how amazing her work is.
CC: What informed your current style?
JR: During college, I loved painting flowers. I used to carry around Jim Dine’s Flowers and Plants book with me everywhere I went as inspiration. I kept re-checking it out at the library — not sure anyone had a chance to see or read it, I had it for so long! I admired how gestural and loose he was with his work. It wasn’t until the end of college that my fascination with figures and faces became my focal point. I think it was the challenge of bringing a certain emotion or feeling to life that made me enjoy it. My style is always growing. I can’t get enough of learning about and seeing different mediums and techniques I haven’t tried yet.
CC: Where do you find inspiration?
JR: I find inspiration by surrounding myself with creative, hardworking people and friends. It’s incredibly motivating being around those that are optimistic and love what they do. Also following artists I admire via Instagram or their websites. In this day and age, we have the opportunity to see what kind of art is out there and what people are doing to step up the game. I do have a love/hate with social media, but it’s such a great way for artists to get their work seen and to interact with other artists as well.
CC: And how would you define art?
JR: It’s indefinable.
CC: When do you know a piece you’ve created is complete?
JR: A painting is never really finished. I think knowing when to stop working on a piece can be tough. It’s easy to overwork it or put too much thought into it. Sometimes when I’m creating a piece, I’ll love the beginning stage of it and not want to do anything else to it. But once you push past that fear and continue painting, then the piece comes alive. But really, I think it’s done when the deadline tells me so!
CC: What are your favorite tools and mediums?
JR: My favorite medium is oil paints. I love it because it’s a forgiving medium but also quite challenging. It’s great for its flexibility, blending, and color depth. I love dabbling in mixed media, so I use a lot of acrylics, watercolors, pens, spray paint, gold leaf, paper, and epoxy resin in my work.
CC: What do you love about being in Atlanta?
JR: I love that everything you need is located somewhere within Atlanta, you just have to find it. The art and food [scenes are] incredible. I can’t even keep up with how many new restaurants keep popping up! I think what I love most about Atlanta is how there are so many communities that work hard to continue making it a better place.
CC: What are your thoughts on the local arts scene?
JR: The art scene here is great. It’s continuing to evolve and the artists are so supportive of each other. There’s a lot of diversity which is also nice.
CC: Do you have any projects or pieces in the works?
JR: I’m currently working on two 4-foot paintings for a new restaurant called Rose & Rye in Midtown, across from the Woodruff Arts Center. It’s a beautiful old historic castle that’s in the middle of the city. Alongside that, I’m working on a 4-foot painting for a new restaurant in downtown Duluth called Noona, a steakhouse and oyster bar. And [recently, I worked on] a 10-foot by 40-foot mural for a new Portland-based Salon in Chamblee called Bishop’s.
CC: What does the mural creation process look like for you?
JR: The mural I’m working on has a male and female figure looking in opposing directions. The background, which will show through parts of the faces, will incorporate an abstract series I did a few years ago. I call it controlled chaos. I tape off certain areas and splatter paint. Once I peel the tape off, the areas I splattered paint on are contained within neat lines. It looks way better than it sounds! It’s fun painting in large scale, I really enjoy the challenge.
CC: Dreams for yourself?
JR: For myself… to continue pursuing what I love and to keep learning. Art’s a tough field to have a career in, but one that is so rewarding for me. It would be great to eventually travel more to do murals in other cities.
CC: Dreams for the world?
JR: For the world to have more kindness.
CC: Do you have any advice for fellow budding artists?
JR: Keep creating! Practice and persistence is everything. Surround yourself with people who are motivating, optimistic, hardworking, and caring. It’s easy to get discouraged, but when you have people and friends like that around you, it helps lift you out of whatever funk you may be in. Also, attend art shows to show support and network.
See more of Janice’s work on her portfolio site, Facebook, and Instagram.
