Today we’d like to introduce you to JANINE TANG  (aka J’Atelier9)

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As an Artisan Crafted Visual Creator, I (Janine Tang) founded my visual art brand, J’Atelier9 ™️ (IG: @jatelier9).

I am a Hong Kong born sustainable fine artist who grew up in the greater San Fernando Valley. I graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics. I am a licensed real estate broker with an accomplished career as a wholesale mortgage banker previously.

My deeply rooted, humble & cultural upbringing conditioned me to reuse & repurpose at an early age. This philosophy has extended over to my sustainable mindfulness in discipline. My movement towards a “circular environmental cycle” by sourcing reclaimed materials into my practice heightens my impact on carbon footprint.

Growing up as a Chinese American and influenced by cross-cultural discrimination and socio-economic disparities, I tend to dissect aspects of societal programming within the matrix while creating a wondrous majestic world of optimism and reflection.

At the underbelly of J’Atelier9, my atelier/studio reconciles cause and effect within my artistry. I delicately confront opposition, fragility, and controversy as part of my connection and voice.

J’Atelier9 disrupts the transcendent beauty of innovative repurposing in the works by merging vibrant hues, visual forms, fluid shapes, and experimental techniques. I am known to blend pigmented acrylic paints and textured paste onto layers of reclaimed mixed media from newsprint, ephemera, recycled bags, and repurposed boards – while juxtaposing the dichotomy of consumerism against responsible adaptive reuses of sustainable elements.

I allow my selectively curated eco-conscious materials and intuitive process to reach their pinnacle of inherent patina, imperfection, or rawness. My environmental contribution is commingled into the narrative as my work ripples into my experiences, fearful displacement, and personal confrontations.

J’Atelier9 merges the interconnectedness of the world through her awareness by voicing society’s sensationalism of media, global discourse, planet preservation, glorification of materialism, cross-cultural evolution, and complex facets of duplicity throughout her art.

Artisan hand-crafted and reconstructed, my art merges into an insightful tapestry of ethereal, unconventional, whimsical, and sustainable. I experiment with a mixture of flat color palettes, unusual textures, and composition while swirling bold hues of expansive contrast, mood, and process.

My artwork has been exhibited at Huntington Beach Art Center and Laguna Art Gallery in 2023. I have been involved in museum group exhibits at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum for the 22nd Japan International Art Exchange Exhibition curated by Julienne Johnson, where I will donate AIR-NERGY to the International Art Exchange Chairman for his permanent collection; and at Sasse Museum for the SeeMe exhibition juried by Deena Capparelli…

J’Atelier9 was selected as the top finalist in two categories for the Touch of Blue International Expo.

I was recently selected for an invitation to the international cross-cultural artist residency of the archeological rural Italian Alps.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As most emerging artists will attest, the amount of grit, sacrifice, strength, determination it takes to become a renowned fine artist is a relentless and challenging journey.

Facts: The industry is saturated with fine artists and littered with talent. I have learned you must wear versatile hats with challenges from the business aspect, networking component, marketing, and creative concepts.

The arduous road will truly test your resilience. The rejection and lessons learned along the way have developed my personal growth and courage to fail. This career not only requires persistence, financial investment, influential connections, grant and fellowship support; but it also someone whom believes in your artisan visions and is willing to invest in you.

With limited funding, it creates financial burdens where you must strategically allocate your valuable time and resources. You must weigh multiple options and be selective wth shows/exhibitions which best represent and serve your art discipline and/or offer the expansive exposure to your target group or audience.

Although fine art is displayed for community engagement and public interpretation, the business side also needs to be considered if you desire success and sustainability.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m most proud of my FUN FACTORY series because it allowed me to craft a playful softness with rustic reclaimed mixed media elements.

The narrative embodies unconditional love with an inherent element of safety. The play on the hues of colors and unusual textures enriches the whimsical notion. The pigmented palette builds upon choppy layers along with uneven terrain & opposing platforms. The intentional contrast facilitates depth & dimension while purporting to add value to each characteristic.

The series illustrates how a plush can nurture, offering comfort to those whom need protection, safety, and security. It evokes the viewer reflect on such times during youth, innocence, and past; when childhood discoveries were newly explored and learned. The series translates an unspoken companionship, a feeling of home, and a safe harbor..

The pastel shades depict our inner child. The soft tone of textures feeds our primal need for connection, nurture, and love.

The artworks also denote golden bamboo sticks, dripping dots and feature J’Atelier’s iconic signature (Flower Bear) in repetition to perpetuate the mystical dynamic and tonal mood.

I wanted to project a sweet sentiment and foreplay on an infantile spirit to captivate that inner fragility.. a journey of tender nourishment.

What distinguishes me is my signature style, my unique imprint with how I narrate my works against the disruption of the carbon footprint of repurposed elements.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
The best parts of Los Angeles: melting pot for creativity & innovation, distinct attractions, metropolitan bustle, beautiful coastline, diverse cultures, emerging arts, and shifting dynamics.

On the flip side: The increasing costs of living, the parking, density of too many people, congestion of traffic, & sparse wide area distance in traveling city to city.

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