A gifted artist, Janey Gregory has explored drawing, photography, pen and ink, charcoal, printmaking, oil painting, acrylics, gouache, watercolor, and ceramics, but, when she was 21, she encountered soft pastels and calls the moment “transformative.”

She says it transformed her career as an architect. “Pastels allow me to render conceptual designs in their natural environments, to communicate atmosphere, light and emotion in a way technical drawings don’t. Clients respond to both the accuracy of renderings and to the feeling they evoke.”

Janey appreciates “the immediacy of the medium, the velvety texture and the ability to layer rich, vibrant pigments to create luminous effects. It’s painting and drawing simultaneously, with pure color as both a tool and a language.”

Creativity has been the compass guiding her life. “I approach each painting with the same rigor, discipline and curiosity that defined my 40-year architectural career, but now with a deeper emotional resonance. This is more than a transition, it’s a transformation. I’m not just creating art; I’m living it,” she said.

Her focus on pastel landscape painting is not a new direction, it’s a homecoming. “After a career as a design architect, I’ve returned to my fine arts roots with a renewed sense of purpose and passion,” she said. “Every time I pick up a pastel stick, I’m reminded of the power of color to tell stories, evoke memory and bring visions to life.”

Her stories begin where light and atmosphere guide her eye. She translates scenes into sketches focused on shapes and compositional flow. The drawing ensures balance, rhythm and a compelling foundation. Then an underpainting of watercolor, gouache, acrylic, or pastel, creates atmospheric depth. It guides her layering process that follows, using complementary colors to establish tonal relationships and to infuse a vibrancy that later shimmers through the surface.

“I build the pastel in successive veils,” she said, “working from dark to light, coaxing luminosity and texture from the paper. Each stroke is deliberate, capturing the nuances of light, shadow and color.” The painting begins to breathe, forms emerge, movement unfolds, and the scene transforms from static image to living moment. She says, “There’s a quiet thrill in watching an image unfold, layer by layer, stroke by stroke, until it becomes something unexpected and beautiful.”

Through her work, Janey strives to share Indiana’s story. “Receiving the Indiana Artisan designation is recognition of the artistic voice I’ve cultivated over a lifetime,” she said. “It affirms something deeply personal – that creating art isn’t just what I do, it’s who I am. It’s a shared commitment to elevating Indiana’s cultural identity through work that is both personal and universal.”