Today we’d like to introduce you to Jana Renee.
Jana , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always been making things. As a child, I was constantly drawing, writing stories, and searching for any scrap of paper I could leave a mark on. I was certain I would become an illustrator, and graphite remains the medium that comes most naturally to me. After studying painting at MassArt in Boston, I found myself craving a more personal way to connect with art. Illustration felt too structured, so I turned to oil painting and eventually to large-scale murals, allowing my work to exist both in intimate studio spaces and out in the world.
My paintings are rooted in love; not simply as romance, but as the reason we create, connect, grieve, nurture, and grow. I am endlessly drawn to the feminine because of its softness, strength, and life-giving energy. I love the rhythm of the female form, its flowing curves and warmth, and I naturally bring those qualities into everything I make. My work often explores tenderness, using rich color and rounded forms to create spaces that feel immersive, emotional, and quietly powerful.
Whether I am painting murals, creating a new series in oils, sculpting, sewing, restoring furniture, or designing stained glass, I don’t separate art from everyday life. Making is simply how I move through the world. I’m inspired by the women I paint, by the people I love, and by the small moments that remind us to slow down and feel deeply. My hope is that my work invites viewers into that same space; a place where softness is strength, beauty is honest, and love is the force that holds everything together.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road. I grew up below the poverty line with a single mother and 3 incredible older siblings. We were deeply rooted in religious lifestyle, and I was homeschool through elementary school, so i had to learn many things about the world quickly and all at once as I got older.
I didn’t pick up a paintbrush until my sophomore year of college when I received my first formal art training. Building a career as a full-time artist has come with financial uncertainty and health setbacks, but growing up the way I did taught me resilience and resourcefulness. No matter the challenge, I have always found a way to keep going.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a muralist and fine artist based in the Dallas- Fort WOrth area, where I have completed more than 40 murals over the past 8 years. I specialize in creating vibrant, uplifting murals inspired by nature, portraiture, and western vintage pin-up aesthetics. My work often features oversized flowers, plants, animals and expressive email figures that invite people to pause, connect, and reflect.
In the studio I paint oil portraits inspired by classical portrait painting techniques, with a focus on the sensuality of the female form. I love combining masters painting techniques with a softness and tenderness of a sunset palette.
What I am most proud of is building a sustainable career doing what I love. I have been selling my artwork since I was 19 , and after nearly two decades of learning, growing, and adapting, I still wake up excited to create, I think what sets me apart is my ability to move comfortably between large scale public murals and refined studio paintings while maintaining a style that is joyful, approachable and deeply rooted in good craftsmanship.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My family have always supported my natural artistic talents from a young age. I am very fortunatate to have them as my own personal cheer squad.
Since moving to Fort Worth, I have been aided, encouraged and guided by many wonderful people.
Muralist Katie Murray got me into painting murals in 2017. I am lucky to know prolific and well respected fine art painters in Fort Worth, Texas, and they have always encouraged me and followed my journey in their own ways. Nancy Lamb paints vibrant party scenes in oil. She regularly checks in on me, takes me to lunch and sometimes commissions work from me to support my career. My other mentor Billy Hassell is a nature conservationist and painter of wildlife with his own vibrant style. I worked as Billy’s assistant on and off over the years as needed and have learned so much form his long and successful career. Another great encourager of my work in Fort Worth is my mentor Andrew Walker who is the former Amon Carter Museum Director and an avid supporter of the arts. He has both commissioned pieces and bought my work when I needed support the most. The crew at Hotel Drover in the stockyards have been such a support during my time painting tri-annual murals for them since 2021.
Pricing:
- 35-50$ sq foot
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.janarenee.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejanarenee
