It was a hoot chatting with Edmonton-based artist Jani Galarneau. She was 100 per cent correct about her third interesting fact about herself.

She has so much energy and is incredibly positive. It’s hard not to have a perpetual smile on your face while you’re chatting with her. Plus, as a bonus, she’s a talented artist.

I hope you enjoy reading our chat as much as I did asking her the questions.

[Featured Artwork by Jani Galarneau.]

Jani Galarneau

Q&A

The following responses are lightly edited for length and clarity.


01. Rock, paper, or scissors?

Rock.

02. What are three interesting facts about you?

A. I love color.
B. I love texture.
C. I like to think I have a wicked sense of humor. But don’t ever ask your children if they think you’re funny; it doesn’t work that way.

03. Is art your career or a hobby? Something else?

It’s my career.

04. What is one common misconception about being an artist?

I’ve had people come right up to me and say, “Do you ever make any money at that?” Which is very annoying.

05. What’s your favorite color?

Turquoise, red, azzaro gold, and green gold. I think those are my favorites. And purple.

I didn’t realize when I first started painting how much I loved turquoise until I did my very first show. But now I’m very much more conscious of it. I’ve learned to supplement more red with my turquoise.

06. Where did your passion for art start?

As a little kid, I drew on everything. We had old tiles downstairs in our basement and I drew on every single one of them. Yeah, I was the kid that got in trouble for drawing on the walls and playing with the paint when I shouldn’t be. That was me. And, I’m still just as mucky as I was as a kid.

07. What is the main medium you use in your art?

Acrylic. But it’s becoming almost even with oils now, too.



08. What household chore do you actually enjoy?

Mowing the lawn, if I had a lawn. I just have a yard and garden but if I had a lawn I would be mowing it. It would be my thing to do. The smell of fresh-cut grass is beautiful, unless you have allergies.

09. What inspires your art?

Life. People. Just about everything. I think life, in general. Art, for me, is just to express the way I feel most of the time.

10. Creating the art is one thing, but finding clients is another. Have you cracked the business side of art?

Yes. It’s taken awhile. Like a lot of people that hadn’t planned on being a full-time artist, I had no proper plan or any of that. I kind of jumped in with both feet. The one thing I do know is that it’s always about being persistent and consistent. Always.

11. What app do you use most often?

Probably Instagram. Although I am on Tik Tok. I’m trying. Social media is just one more hat that artists need to wear.

12. What is your favorite drink?

Paralyzers. Oh, but did you mean non-alcoholic? *laughs* Then, decaf caramel corretto.

13. What is your go-to band or artist?

Right at this moment in time, it’s LP (Laura Pergolizzi). I love her voice. She can do opera, she can do very deep and guttural. It just works.

*pauses*

Or AC/DC.

14. What song or artist do you like but rarely admit to liking?

Justin Bieber.

15. Are you more productive at night or in the morning?

Both. I’m very energetic first thing in the morning and then I have a lull and then I’m energetic in the evening.

16. What are you hilariously bad at?

Driving. Because I don’t, actually.

17. So, how do you get your art around and get to art shows?

My husband is my big helper. He likes to think he keeps me out of trouble.

But also, the artist network is amazing. If you don’t drive and you’re going somewhere, you can tag a ride. The amount of what I do without actually driving is amazing. It’s never stopped me from doing anything ever.

18. What’s something you’ve been meaning to try but just haven’t got around to?

Encaustic painting. Mostly, right now, it’s expensive. I do have a lot of toys as it is so I have to make sure I have space if I do something new like that.

19. What do you hope people get out of your art?

I hope that whatever I do moves them. Either makes them giggle, it makes them cry, or it touches their heart in some form or another.

And I would like to surprise them a little bit. With my work, I find that I have huge range so they never know what they’re going to get. Life is like a box of chocolates, they say.