FEATURED THROUGH OCTOBER 6

Many years ago, Jan V. Roy wrote the Picasso quote “Painting is just another way of keeping a diary,” in her journal. When she came across it more recently, she immediately saw how on target it was for describing her body of work.

In almost all circumstances, when I look at one of my paintings, I can remember why it came to be. Who it was inspired by, where I had traveled, what was happening at the time, either in a worldly way or closer to home in a spiritual way, or maybe the colors that I felt around me, whether they truly existed or were just in my mind. Rarely do I force myself to stick to one subject and as a result, my paintings are always reflecting my inner self, as a diary does. – Jan Roy

The ‘Keeping a Diary’ exhibit at Inner Space explores Jan’s artistic journey, yet there is a cohesiveness to her group of paintings. The work ranges in subject matter, the degree of abstraction, and the palette, but what ties these pieces into one is a sense of place.

Jan’s body of work and her beautiful Haverhill art studio struck a chord with Inner Space owner and curator, Allyson Paladino. When the two met at Jan’s studio to discuss the opening, Allyson said it felt like she was walking into a secret and magical space. As Jan said of her studio, “I have 24 windows looking out in four directions, the Merrimack River, the train tracks servicing three different lines, more mill buildings, smokestacks, etc. What more could I want? There is a quiet chaos beneath me, leaving me to perfect solitude.”

About Jan Roy

Jan began her artistic career as a silk-screen artist in 1979 when she received her first commission from the Portland Symphony Orchestra. For 25 years she designed and printed more than 40 posters for various cultural organizations including The Nature Conservancy, The New England Conservatory and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, for whom she designed an annual poster from 1982 to 2000. Roy’s highly successful Brooklyn Bridge Centennial poster crystallized attention on her talent, resulting in opportunities in Rome, Italy and Paris, France. She also maintained a notecard company, Salt Marsh Graphics. In 1999 Jan turned her attention to painting. She quickly moved on from pastels to acrylics, and now works almost exclusively in oil out of her studio in Haverhill, Mass. 

exhibition preview

About Inner Space and Allyson Paladino, owner and curator

I established Inner Space to create a gallery experience that was welcoming, approachable, and accessible to both the connoisseur as well as those new to art or who just love what is beautiful to them. I created a space where people can take in exceptional works from accomplished artists without pressure or pretension. A space that reflects both the physical space we live in and our interior lives—the things that bring us happiness, provoke thought or connect us. It’s what resonates with a person, that little bit of magic that brings them back to look at a painting, again, and again. That’s Inner Space.