With a career that spans decades, and exhibits all around the world, it’s hard to find a singular word to describe Janet Slom’s work. The most common choice appears to be intense – Ms. Slom’s large scale African-inspired paintings are a dynamic visual experience, bombarding the viewer with a multiplicity of forms and figures to consider and engage with – but it’s a versatile intensity.

Ms. Slom’s earlier Heaven on Earth series evokes powerful serenity, capturing the divine via abstract landscapes. These paintings were inspired by the scenery here in Connecticut, where Ms. Slom has made her home for more than 30 years.

Born in South Africa, Ms. Slom is a polymath, who combines her creative endeavors with dance, yoga and mindfulness. She is active in Interfaith Ministry and provides spiritual counseling. Ms. Slom studied at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa and completed her MFA at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. Her work has been exhibited all around the world, including in the United Nations, Lincoln Center, the Adelson Gallery, Kohn Pederson Fox Gallery, Everard Read Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa, and Frank Pages Gallery, in Baden-Baden, Germany.

What we like about Janet’s work is its assertive, almost confrontational, nature. This is not work you can look at and be unmoved. The visuals are engaging and complex, and the scale of the work demands the viewer take the time to consider it fully. Ms. Slom is also a talented ceramicist and has done a series of masks that have the look of leather & woven textiles.

Being an Artist Isn’t an Easy Path to Take

In an interview with Connecticut design icon Lillian August, Ms. Helm said “Many people told me that being an artist is not an easy path to take. For me, however, it was harder not to follow what I truly love.” The years that have followed have established Ms. Helm made the right decision. She maintains a very busy schedule and is currently artist in residence at CFM U Mass Medical School. Her solo exhibition will be on display through August of 2019.

Visit Janet Slom’s website to learn more about her pieces of work.

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