Our Story

Art is not only my passion, it is also my livelihood. Through my artwork I have found an enjoyable way to express myself and a way to change the world. That may sound overly exaggerated, but it is true. Every thought and action we have can influence our reality, thus, my artistic vision and human purpose compel me to be responsible to our world by making art that reflects what I want to see in our world. With this in mind, my choice of what I create is very deliberate, and I often choose Nature as my preferred subject because it is the ultimate masterpiece, the endless source of creativity, and the ever unfolding mystery. I have devoted most of my art career to painting it because Nature represents how I want my world to be. I want a beautiful, creative, honest, and harmonious world. I am most inspired to paint special places, subjects, and moments that evoke rapture, reverence, and awe, the kind of subjects that engage people to appreciate their universe and the natural world that sustains them. That kind of gratitude is what I want to see in the world. I do not want to add to our destructive human story by creating expressions of dystopia or negative imagery that remind us of what’s wrong in the world. On the contrary, I want people to be grateful, and my preferred way to do this is to inspire them with Nature’s brilliant creativity and awe inspiring beauty.

I also choose Nature because I am often involved with it. I am an avid outdoor explorer, so whether I hike, ski, bike, sail, or kayak, my art is driven by my explorations; thus, I prefer to capture the features and impressions of places or objects I have been, especially from the natural world, by distinguishing what makes them unique. I do this by painting individuality, not generic impressions, and this is why I choose to paint realistically. Furthermore, since realism is more easily understood than most modern art, it is easier to convey an artwork’s meaning and intent to most viewers.

I’ve been a professional artist for over forty years and in that time I have achieved success and acclaim by exhibiting in over seventy exhibition venues including one person shows, group shows, and juried international, national, and regional competitions, and by receiving many awards and exposure in national magazines. I also have been fortunate to have numerous of my paintings included in the collections of many noteworthy museums in the U.S.

I was raised in Auburn, California, a small town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of northern California. I met my husband Harry while back-country skiing in the Sierra Nevada’s near Lake Tahoe, California. We were both young and enthusiastic outdoor explorers and Harry’s skill as a backpacker, mountaineer, skier, and Nature renaissance man coupled with my deep curiosity to explore made us a perfect match.

I have always been the creative drive and Harry has always been the enabler, and even today, we both put our best skills and talents together to make our art business better. Harry is the IT man, and without his ability to digest and learn the quirks of building our website, or setting up new equipment like printers, computers, or software, my art wouldn’t get out there for our viewers to see and appreciate. We are a team, we excel in our skills, and our special skills compliment each other perfectly. We are also best friends, so whether we play together or work together we do it as friends who care and love each other. It isn’t often that couples share their passions and friendships throughout their relationship, but after being together thirty eight years, we have done just that. We still hike, bike, ski, boat, kayak, and explore together, and we usually do something fun on our adventure list everyday. We also have invested a great deal of time into nurturing the creation and sharing of my art.

Our latest adventure is to have a greater interface with our fans by offering a great user friendly website, and getting exposure on platforms like Etsy. We hope you will benefit from our endeavors, and, of course, we hope you will support our quest to share the beauty of our incredible world by buying our art. May it give you a lifetime of inspiration.

Our Home

We have been nomads for several years now.  Since 2014 our 1984 Bluebird Wanderlodge has been our home and home is where we park it.  Currently we a members of a RV village in Chimacum Washington, we are one of 175 lifetime lease holders of this co-op park.  It provides a home base to continue our travels.

Janet Erl  -  Artist Name TARJAN

Janet Erl - Artist Name TARJAN

Company Role

Tarjan is the driving creative force for Tarjan Studio.  Her art is what it is all about.

Harry Erl

Harry Erl

Company Role

Website and Mechanics of the business.