Janet French

Janet French is a Colchester-based fine-art printmaker. She gained a National Diploma in Fine Art (2003) and a BA (Hons) Art & Design – Fine Art (2006), both at Colchester School of Art & Design. She hand-prints images onto paper she makes herself from leaves gathered in the local fields and woodlands on which her images are based, exploring her love of trees and the spiritual impact of light seen through them; each sheet of leaf paper is made with an image in mind so that the individual characteristics of the leaves become an integral part of the work. Her prints have been selected for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2024. Other exhibitions include Curators Choice at the Benham Gallery (2024), solo shows at Ely Cathedral (2022) and Clare Hall, Cambridge (2019), and group shows at the National Memorial Arboretum (2020), Watts Gallery Guildford, Gallery East Woodbridge and Firstsite. She is a member of Colchester Art Society, Artworks and The Printmakers Council.