"Prize Pig" 16 X 20   $200 SOLD	"Designer Witches" 16 X 20   $250 SOLD
"Christmas Mornin' " 11 X 14   $150 SOLD	"Fish Fry" 11 X 14   $125 SOLD
"Hometown Christmas" 16 X 20   $200 SOLD	"To Grandma's House We Go" 16 X 20   $150 SOLD
"Country Sale" 11 X 14   $125 SOLD	"Off to School!" 11 X 14   $125 SOLD

Janet Kaye, the other Powell

Janet Kaye, the other Powell, bears striking resemblance to her celebrated sister-in-law Marjorie Rose. Born in rural Lenoir County in 1952, she came to Marjorie’s native Wayne County forty years ago, the new wife of Marjorie’s husband’s youngest brother. From that moment, the two sisters-in-law have been inseparable. For many years, Janet Kaye was Marjorie’s sidekick and observed and absorbed Marjorie’s artistic interests. Then they joined together to experiment in painted ceramics, finger painting, art sculpture, and homespun arts taking old materials and making new creations. “Marjorie was my sole mentor and teacher and always told me that I could be a painter. She was always having so much fun with her art, and I wanted to do the same. In the first endeavors, she was always leaning over my shoulder telling me what to paint and how to paint it, then one day I said ‘I’m gonna do it my way!’” That was the birth of Janet Kaye, the other Powell.

For the most part, Janet’s works are whimsical, usually humorous expressions of her own rich imagination, inspired by the people, places, and experiences of rural North Carolina. Childhood memories provide rich sources for both Powells. For example, Janet’s father died when she was only nine years old, but she remembers that he always raised chickens. So it isn’t surprising that chickens are one of her favorite additions to any rural landscape. One of Janet’s favorite series is “Janet’s Kids,” simple vignettes of childhood pleasures. But also like Marjorie, Janet is full of surprises. While Marjorie has developed the wonderful story line of the Paris Martini Cats, Janet is busy developing the adventures of the Designer Witches, a beguiling and very in-style group of enchantresses.

Janet’s works have been available in a number of venues over the past few years and have been very well received. She showed successfully with Marjorie in 2006 in Chicago and was also present with over a dozen originals at the First Marjorie Rose Powell Christmas Show in Warren County Dec. 2, 2007. Representative works by Janet are generally on display at Oakley Hall Antiques & Art in Warrenton, NC, who promote and manage The World of Marjorie Rose Powell.

Janet lives in the very small town of Dudley, North Carolina, not too many minutes from her sister-in-law’s farm. She is married to Dewey Powell and has two grown sons Dewey Jr. and Corey. Janet and Marjorie work for the same medical practice in Wayne County and spend a great deal of time, especially Saturday nights, painting together and critiquing each other’s work. There is never a dull moment. And there simply are not two nicer people to be found anywhere.