Janet Luxton

b. 1954

Sydney based artist Janet Luxton worked as a draftsman and graphic designer in Auckland during the 1970’s. In 1981 she joined a major yacht construction project and sailed to San Francisco in 1984. It was here that she studied painting at the San Fransisco Art Institute with photorealist artist Richard McLean before a period at the Jerusalem Print Workshop in Israel studying etching and other printmaking techniques with Arik Kilemnick. Between 1989 and 2011 Janet designed, built and operated two small wineries in NSW and South Australia with attached galleries for her paintings, drawing and etchings.

Painting with deft technical skill and sensitivity, Janet Luxton’s exquisite paintings capture the magnificence and diversity of the creatures of the natural world. More than realist interpretations of wildlife, each meticulous brushstroke by Luxton reveals the animal’s distinct character, as well as the artist’s deep respect and connection to each being she portrays. By working on a large scale, Luxton’s paintings not only reinforce the beauty and importance of the natural world, but they force the audience to contemplate our role and responsibility in protecting wildlife in all its forms.

Janet has been a finalist in the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize, Dobell Prize for Drawing, The Pacific Rim Print Exhibition and the Outback Art Prize. She has also won the Gold Award at the National Packaging Council of Australia and was commissioned by the New Zealand post to feature on a set of six stamps. Most recently, Janet was awarded Highly Commended in the People’s Choice Category in the 2020 Wildlife Artist of the Year through the David Shepherd Wildlife Found