Janet (Conlon) Manyan

PORTLAND – Beloved Maine artist, Janet (Conlon) Manyan handed away peacefully in Portland on Jan. 4, 2023, from congestive coronary heart failure.

Born in Windfall, R.I., on March 3, 1938, to her thrilled mother and father Leo and Edith, who had thought they might not have the ability to have a baby, she was raised in Woonsocket, R.I.

Janet graduated from Classical Excessive College in Windfall, R.I., then from The Faculty of New Rochelle, in New York. Upon commencement she started work as a greeting card artist at Rust Craft in Boston, Mass., and later at Paramount Greeting Playing cards, Windfall, R.I.

Janet met her husband, David Manyan, in Windfall, R.I. and was married in 1965 at St. Ann’s Church in Cranston, R.I. The couple moved to Miami, Fla. the place she had her two youngsters, Aram and Jessica, then in 1975 the household moved again north to Maine.

After deciding to construct their very own dwelling in Kennebunkport, Janet developed an curiosity in passive photo voltaic heating and designed the house herself which was then featured in a neighborhood evaluation of eco-conscious structure. Janet was raised to like and admire nature and the outside and loved residing for years on this light-filled dwelling within the woods, and later in her cottage in Saco with a sweeping view of the river.

She was a joyful, attentive, and devoted mom, and when her youngsters had been younger saved a big backyard and together with her household raised pigs, chickens, turkeys, and geese. She was an inspiration to her youngsters, exhibiting them the best way to concentrate on the optimistic facet of life when confronted with disappointment, encouraging charity and empathy, and modeling onerous work and dedication.

Her appreciation for the bigger world outdoors her doorways was additionally evident in her ardour for journey, visiting Russia in 1986 in addition to locations in South America and Europe. She remained drawn to magnificence and reality all through her life and developed her personal creative imaginative and prescient transferring from watercolor to grease portray within the Nineteen Seventies and ’80s and devoting extra time to her portray as her youngsters wanted her much less.

In 1979 Janet suffered a critical accident and was left with restricted motion and an extended forged on her proper leg. Within the technique of restoration Janet needed to discover a technique to get to bodily remedy. Destiny delivered her buddy, Jean Briggs, who, additionally touring to remedy, had a forged on her left foot, and will drive them each. This time collectively would supply the ladies with a good stronger friendship and consequence within the founding of Mast Cove Gallery, one of the crucial well-known Maine galleries that remained open in Jean’s dwelling in Kennebunkport for the subsequent 43 years.

Janet turned acknowledged within the artwork neighborhood of southern Maine, attending the North Berwick Drawing group, getting into, and profitable juried exhibits, being featured in Maine galleries, and finally being chosen for a number of prestigious regional artists’ residencies together with Vermont Studio College, Monhegan Artists’ Residence, and the Millay Colony. In 1989 she began graduate college at Brooklyn Faculty which might give her the house and time to discover her expertise, achieve extra confidence in her imaginative and prescient and work intently with Lennart Andersen and Lois Dodd, each of whom would change into mentors and pals.

She was additionally thrilled to be chosen for considered one of two graduate educating positions in her second yr. She obtained her MFA a yr earlier than her daughter would graduate from NYU. Within the two years they had been each in New York, they might make time to get collectively across the metropolis and indulge of their long-shared ardour for distinctive markets and folks watching. Janet’s graduate exhibition on the Westbeth Gallery showcased the event of her reverent but acquainted, intimate type of realism. Janet captures the wonder, spirituality, and uniqueness of objects of the market, dwelling and backyard, home objects regularly neglected, with masterful illuminating coloration and composition. She additionally created beautiful portraiture and life research.

After commencement Janet continued portray, being featured at a number of galleries in New York and Maine together with Frost Gully Gallery owned by one other of her lifelong pals, Tom Crotty. She additionally continued to show, first on the College of New Hampshire, then the Maine Faculty of Artwork, in basis lessons and finally within the persevering with training division educating drawing and portray.

Janet moved into her cottage on the river in Saco, and later met her companion and companion, Alec Ferguson, who shares her love of creation and wonder and would keep by her facet for the remainder of her life. She enormously loved residing on the river, portray in a studio that she constructed hooked up to her dwelling and spending time with family and friends together with her two parrots, Raezy and Chico.

Professionally, she discovered a house on the Maine Faculty of Artwork the place she turned a extremely valued instructor with a loyal following. She was awarded the Maine Faculty of Artwork Management in Artwork Schooling Award in Might 2011, and in Might 2014 she obtained her honorary doctorate. Janet’s expertise, generosity, perception, and humor shall be enormously missed by family and friends alike!

She is survived by youngsters, Aram (Elisabeth) Manyan and Jessica (Tucker) Manyan; and her grandchildren, Stella, Moses, Gabriel, and Dylan; her cousins Denise (Bruce) Thayer, Jeff Moriarty and Margaret Patch; brother and sister-in-law, George Manyan and Gail Henry.

Predeceased by her beloved mother and father Leo Vincent Conlon, MD and Edith (Moriarty) Conlon; uncle and aunt, David Moriarty and Eugenia (McCarthy) Moriarty; cousin, Julie (Amin) Khoury; and mother-in-law, Gladys Manyan.

Relations and pals are kindly invited to a funeral service on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 11 a.m. within the O’Neill Funeral Residence, 3102 Mendon Rd., Cumberland, R.I. Burial will comply with at St. Charles Cemetery, Blackstone, Mass.

A life celebration will happen the weekend of June 10 in Kennebunkport.

In lieu of flowers, a donation in Janet’s identify to considered one of these organizations, that she deeply cared for, can be enormously appreciated: Maine Public Broadcasting, Maine Audubon, or Maine Faculty of Artwork and Design.

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