Janel Schelzel

Janel Schelzel was born near Thief River Falls, Minnesota. She spent her childhood in Ecuador, Germany, and Pennsylvania, but most of her life she has lived in South Minneapolis. Because she grew up in Ecuador, much of her work is inspired by the observation of cultures and how meaning and identity are both created and obscured within the context of culture. She is motivated by the creation of a visual language that depicts the collection of ideas that help us to understand the physical world and our collective human experience. This visual language takes the form of a series of paintings or prints.

Janel went to Roosevelt High School and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2005 with a degree in Art. She taught art part time, which inspired a season of technical drawing, painting, and printmaking. Her work is colorful, expressive, and abstracted. The ideas expressed from year to year vary, but the reoccurring theme is always a sense of balance and calm.