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About the Artist

Biographical

Janet Fountain (nee Semmens) was born in 1956 at Colac in Victoria, Australia.  She was raised in small country towns (Warrion, Alvie, and Manangatang) before her parents moved to the port city of Geelong.

She studied science at The University of Melbourne and then found employment in university administration. In 1984  she married Chris Fountain, a postgraduate metallurgist.  The Fountains moved to Mount Isa in 1987, where Janet worked on technical computer programmes for the mining industry.

It was in Mount Isa she joined the Flying Arts School and met dedicated artists. (The difficult life accepted by artists gave her pause for thought.) On weekends she painted industrial scenes of Mount Isa Mines, and alternated this with landscapes of the area.

In 2002 they moved to Perth in Western Australia. From then on, Janet worked full time on her art. She attended a weekly life drawing group and from December 2005 she studied movement at dance classes and rehearsals with Perth City Ballet. These studies developed into paintings evoking movement.

In 2009 the Fountains moved to Belo Horizonte in Brazil for 13 months because of Chris's work. There Janet painted mainly musicians from the free lunchtime concerts, until Janet's health failed. So the Fountains returned to Perth, Australia and she ceased making art for 10 years.

Chris was posted to Salt Lake City in 2019.  There, Janet picked up her ink pen and began to make drawings again. She started an art journal of their home during the Covid pandemic. Then she drew, and painted, the Fox Squirrels that lived in the backyard.

Currently painting in watercolour pencil, she uses a dry palette technique. This involves transferring the pigment from scraps of watercolour paper, with a damp brush. Then it is applied to the final work.

Janet has participated in seven solo exhibitions and one group exhibition in Australia. She has work in the State of Queensland collection (landscape panel paintings in acrylic on canvas) and in the National Gallery of Australia print collection (lino prints).

Studies

2009 - 10

 Atelier Selma Weissmann Belo Horizonte, Brazil 

2005 - 09

 Dance movement studies

(Director: Diana Waldron)

Perth City Ballet

2001 - 06

 Invitation Workshops (Mentor: Mervyn Moriarty) New South Wales
2004 Flying Arts Living the Landscape

(Tutor: Mandy Martin)

outback Queensland

1998 - 02

 Flying Arts School Mount Isa

1998 - 99

 CAE Summer School

(Tutor: Mervyn Moriarty)

Melbourne

1997 - 98

Life Drawing  (Tutor: Anselm van Rood) Linden, St Kilda
1992 - 96 McGregor Summer School University of Southern Qld Toowoomba
1991 - 96 Flying Arts School Mount Isa  
1991 - 96 Figure Studies  Mt Isa Life Drawing Group Mount Isa

 (evolved into Stack, the contemporary art group active 1994-97)

Solo Exhibitions
May-Jun 2021 Covid Drawings Gallery 48, 2/48 The Strand, Townsville, Australia
Jul-Aug 2011 Brazilian Experience Artspace, Nedlands, Perth, Australia
Jan 2009 Dancing in Paint Kurb Gallery, Northbridge, Perth, Australia
8 Mar - 15 May 2008 Drawing on Thought Gallery 48, 2/48 The Strand, Townsville, Australia
May - Jun 2004 Onions

Cafe Gallery, Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle, Australia

Mar 2001 Arriving at Colour

Mount Isa Potters’ Gallery, Mount Isa, Australia

Apr 1999 CopperSmelter Paintings,

Mount Isa Potters’ Gallery, Mount Isa, Australia

Lino Prints and The Rest 
Duo Exhibitions
Feb 2000 Artists in the Spinifex

Mount Isa Potters’ Gallery, Mount Isa, Australia

Landscapes
(with Vince Bray)
Prizes
Painting 2008 Finalist, Black Swan Prize for Portraiture (Perth)  
2001 Award, Easel, Martin Hanson Memorial Art Awards (Gladstone)
2000 Award, Tree of Knowledge, Barcaldine Art Competition & Exhibition
Commended, Open;  Oil/Acrylic  Mount Isa Rotary Art Show
1998 Shell Art Award, Northern Region, Flying Arts Exhibition (Cairns)  
Highly Commended, Open, Mount Isa Rotary Art Show
Highly Commended, Open, Barcaldine Art Competition & Exhibition
1997 Commended, Miniature, Sarina Visual Arts Exhibition
1993 Highly Commended, Oil/Acrylic, Mount Isa Rotary Art Show  
1992 First Prize, Open Contemporary,  Mount Isa Rotary Art Show
1991 First Prize, Realist Landscape,  Mount Isa Rotary Art Show
Print 2002 Finalist, Silk Cut Acquisitive Award for linocut prints (Melbourne)
1997 Finalist, Silk Cut Acquisitive Award for linocut prints (Melbourne)  
Drawing 1999 First Prize, Drawing, Ernest Henry Memorial Art Show (Cloncurry)  
1998 First Prize, Drawing, Ernest Henry Memorial Art Show (Cloncurry)  
1996 Commended, Open Drawing or Line & Wash, Sunshine Coast Art Show
First Prize, Drawing, Mount Isa Rotary Art Show
1995 First Prize, Drawing, Mount Isa Rotary Art Show
Sculpture 1993 First Prize, Sculpture, Mount Isa Rotary Art Show
Collections
National Gallery of Australia (print collection)
State Government of Queensland - Land and Resources Tribunal, Brisbane (quadriptych)
- Mount Isa Courthouse (triptych)
Private collections in Australia and overseas