By Sona Schmidt-Harris | [email protected]

Janelle Wayman has soft brown eyes that look downward rather than upward when she is trying to recall something. It’s such a small thing, but it adds to her artistic persona.  

Wayman was born in Salt Lake City and raised in South Jordan. She also spent time on the Navajo reservation on which her mother was raised. She has been a resident of West Valley City for 11 years.

Her talent was apparent at an early age. “At 6 years old, I realized I could draw, and everyone was impressed with what I drew,” Wayman said.

In addition to primary art education, she went back to the University of Utah at 45 to obtain more secondary education.

Due in part to dyslexia, Wayman thinks pictorially rather than verbally. “Sometimes I get a vision of how it’s going to look and how I can create it,” Wayman said. “Once I get the vision, I  know exactly what it’s going to look like.”

Though the dyslexia helps her think pictorially, it still remains challenging when creating her art. 

“It does have a style to it because of the dyslexia I have,” she said. “They’re a little bit off. And also, my family has had problems with mental illness. I think that has something to do with my style too because I’ve looked at paintings that have been done by mentally challenged people, and I can relate to them.”

Her works are as varied as her complicated mind.

Though Wayman works in many mediums including colored pencil, confetti, glitter and watercolor, her favorite medium is acrylics on canvas. A signature piece is of vibrant red tulips and is large at 48 inches by 48 inches.

Another piece, an abstract work of a waterfall, was created by rotating the canvas around, which sent the paint in different directions.

Wayman said of a painting that looks like a Mardi Gras celebration, “This is a painting I call ‘Karma’—fun, mysterious and exciting just like my sister, Karma. This painting has all sorts of mediums: acrylics, glue, confetti, glitter on paper.”

Another work, a collage, reflects herself and many of the things she loves.

“I took first place in the Dine College Art Show with my painting of watercolors on paper,” she said. It is of her beloved dog, Valarie. The Dine College Art Show included works from artists from several states.

A unique piece is of a Navajo hogan with sheep, which Wayman’s mother requested. “She wanted me to paint a female hogan. I didn’t know there were male hogans and female hogans,” she said. Her mother grew up on Chaska Mountain in New Mexico.

Not only is Wayman creative, but her sister Karma is both a writer and a painter as well.

With all the artistry in the family and Wayman’s varied portfolio, it seems she can take her art in any direction she would like.