Soulfully on display as a vibrant yet grounding backdrop for the Philadelphia Irish
Community’s sacred cultural life- Janet McShain’s grand and luminous painting,
“Crossroads,” offers added beauty and depth to the many gatherings held at The
Commodore Barry Irish and Cultural Center. Janet’s sensitive brushstrokes
create a warmly inviting scene layered with as many greens as the Artist could
both imagine and create from her palette; and from her knowledge of Ireland’s
beloved landscape. Golden light filters softly on hearth and home, working fields,
distant mountains- shining its brightest rays on the two meeting paths- ‘ag an
gcrosbhóthar.’
The iconic Artwork, now so synonymous with events in the Irish Center’s
Ballroom, was originally commissioned by Vince Gallagher and The Donegal
Society to bring focus to and support for the many valued Irish dancers, singers,
musicians, poets and orators who grace its main stage. Meeting ‘at the
Crossroads’ of life’s journeys, celebrations, mourning, worship, Ceilis- the
needed gathering of families, friends, community- was a theme worthy
of exploration for the Artist. Janet further used as inspiration the authentic
images captured of The Jim McGill family farm in Ireland’s Northwest. Up and
down ladders for months with paint brush in hand, running to the back of the vast
Hall to ensure proper perspective and balance would be experienced for the
many revelers and audience members to come- was part of Janet’s adventure.
Award Winning Artist
Graduate of The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine
Arts
The desire to share and revere the beauty and preciousness of the
natural world influences Janet McShain’s role as an artist, educator,
and as the mother of her nine children. Her paintings and portraits
illustrate this connection. “That moment of childhood, or need, or life
would be lost if the awareness were not there. There is an observation
and connectedness- being there, seeing life, capturing it.”
Janet McShain graduated from Moore College of Art in Philadelphia with
a B.F.A., winning the senior award for general excellence. She studied
at Tyler School of Art, and returned to Moore College of Art to earn
her certification as an Art Instructor. She attended the highly
respected Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts where she received
extensive recognition and awards. Her honors include: Watercolor (
Deena Gu Prize, Donaldson Award, and the Fine Purchase Prize)
,Representational Painting (Bergman Prize), Sculpture (Stimson
Prize),), Composition ( Thouron Prize), Architecture in Painting
(Pearson Memorial Prize), Urban Landscape (Philadelphia Artist Award),
Animal Studies (Packard Prize), Landscape (Louis Sloan Award), and
ultimately, the coveted Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement.
The artwork of Janet McShain is owned internationally. She is exhibited
in the Museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, as well as Fine
Art Galleries. Janet McShain lives and works in Philadelphia and in
Cape May County. Along with her husband, Robert McShain, she owns the
historic William Townsend House on rt. 47, where she displays her art
and offers Art and Nature Retreats. -Kelly McShain
On
Dinner and ‘Dancing At the Crossroads’ a Charity event hosted by Pari Livermore, will take place at the
Commodore Barry Arts and Cultural Center on Sunday, May 21,2023
