The Art of Janet Deagle
Janet Deagle is a local artist in Mathews, Va. She first began exploring her passion for art 62 years ago after marrying her husband, Langley Deagle, who was already working as an artist and sign painter in the area. As newlyweds, while Langley was working on a piece, Janet would pull out colored pencils and sit with him in his studio. Initially, she sketched pictures of characters from her favorite rhymes and fables. Nestled, as they were, by a secluded creek off the Chesapeake Bay, inevitably Janet began to explore her art in the dancing birds and butterflies and the subtle movements of flowers and tall grasses around their home and yard.
Mrs. Deagle took a very long break to focus on raising her family. She only began again in 2017 when a friend asked her husband, Langley, about teaching an art group. Langley agreed and they both realized almost from the first group get together, how happy they were to be painting together again. The group has been meeting regularly now for several years and is primarily composed of friends from church, but they invite anyone who wants to explore art to join them. They call themselves the River Rat Painters and they post their progress on Facebook.
Asked what her advice is to young and young in heart artists, Mrs. Deagle urges that we allow ourselves to just let it be fun. When Mrs. Deagle began to paint again in 2017, she says that she did not remember any technique but decided to just do it and not worry about what ended up on the canvas. It was not long, she says, until the colors, textures, and fragrances of her garden were inspiring her once again. Family and friends have been the lucky and grateful recipients of her work. Her children lovingly refer to her as Grandma Moses of Mathews and they decided that she would work under that name. Mrs. Deagle's work is now available for purchase on our website and in our store.
