Jacob Janes
Photos provided by Jacob Janes
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5(ish) Questions for is a chance to discover and learn about St. Louis Creatives, Community Champions, and, well, just interesting people in and around our city. It's a deep dive into what they love and where their passion lies. It's an opportunity for all of us to see our region from a different perspective. This written interview is a peek into their lives and their outlook on St. Louis.
Meet Jacob Janes: co-founder of Janes and Pang Atelier with his fiancée to teach visual awareness, aiming for personal and community success through empowering others while keeping up his own art practice. He shares how a profound encounter with Titian's "Ecce Homo" at the St. Louis Art Museum along with street art and relationships with his art professors inspired his pursuit of painting.
Tell us about yourself. How did you get started?
I was close with my art teacher in high school and I would imitate street art styles in drawings and paintings. One time, while working on a small mural, I felt that one of the shapes was off but I did not have the language or resources to know why. This was discouraging to me but I kept working anyway.
Later, while at Lindenwood University, I was introduced to the paintings of Titian, Matisse, and my professor Scott Smith. There was a particular moment while standing in front of Titian’s “Ecce Homo” at the St. Louis Art Museum that has disturbed me ever since. The painting depicts Pontius Pilate presenting Jesus to the public shortly before his death. As intense as this scene is, I didn’t see any of it; but I did see the lines, shapes, colors, and brushstrokes that somehow, when combined, created something that felt more alive than myself. I needed to know how it was possible, and it is still what motivates me today.
I was also wrestling while at Lindenwood, and have been wrestling since I was six. My junior year I finished fifth at the national tournament (and third the year before) and decided it was time to retire. The last decade of my life has been an effort to try to pick up painting where I left off with wrestling, and it has been a very long road.
How do you measure success, both in your personal achievements and in your contributions to the wider community?
Success is finding a way to be heard without compromising your voice. For me, I want to make paintings that can look good anywhere and get better over time. If I can do that and sell the work at a fair price to a good home, it is a personal success.
I cannot talk about success as it relates to the community without mentioning Janes and Pang Atelier (or JPA). JPA is the painting and drawing school I co-founded with fiance Misato Pang. Success, for us, involves empowering people in the community by teaching visual awareness. As long as we can continue to do that and support ourselves along the way, I consider it a success.
What are some of your goals for the next year, or the next 5 years?
I have been wanting a solo show or small group show in New York after going there to support some friends earlier this year. As far as goals with JPA, we need to find a sustainable model that works best for us and those who want to learn from us. I would like both of these things to happen within the next two years.
What’s a belief you held strongly that you’ve changed your mind about? Why?
That my unsolicited opinion matters to most people. In most situations, regardless of whether or not I am right or wrong, in order to be on the same page as those around me I need to ask questions. It is easier to find a common ground that way; knowing the right questions to ask is an important part of teaching.
What inspires you about St. Louis?
I am convinced that there is no better city for young artists. We have excellent resources; grants, free museums, affordable spaces, etc., and it is fairly easy to live here. Also, with Instagram being as popular as it is, I can sell my own paintings and build relationships with my buyers. Sure, this isn’t New York, but living in New York has its own drawbacks.
What do you do in your spare time?
I am still very active in the wrestling community, coaching at de Smet Jesuit High School and volunteering at a club twice a week. I have recently gotten into fashion and enjoy shopping for clothes. I am also a lifelong mushroom enthusiast and go through seasons of hiking and foraging frequently.
What changes do you see/or want to see in the creative community?
One thing that cities like New York have but we do not is continuity with our history. There have been some excellent painters in this city (like Max Beckmann and Philip Guston) and I often feel that this is taken for granted. These artists knew how to communicate their inner worlds without becoming reliant on wall text or getting too caught up in the academic side of things. For me, that is the most one can hope to accomplish as an artist.
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