Patrons attend a reception for Jane Barrientos’ work at the West Springfield Public Library on Sept. 10.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
WEST SPRINGFIELD — At age 71, Jane Barrientos thought the days of showcasing her paintings at art shows were over, but then the West Springfield Public Library called with a plea.
“I had not done a show for maybe 10 years. I used to love it, but assumed I was done with that,” she told Reminder Publishing. “But someone who was supposed to display their work canceled, and the head librarian said to me, ‘Jane, we need your paintings.’ So, I did it.”
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
The West Springfield artist is displaying 40 of her oil and acrylic paintings at the library through the end of this month, and she’s shocked at how many people are remembering her and her work. She’s been a local artist, teacher and benefactor since the mid-1970s.
“I’m so glad I did it, because for my reception, we had people from all over, people I hadn’t seen for nine or 10 years came. I was very lucky they’re supportive and still remember me,” she said.
Barrientos’ unlikely path to the arts began when she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from what was then Westfield State College in 1975. She said the economy was bad back then, and the only job she could find was making fries at a local fast-food restaurant. She had no appetite for that, so she ran a little store with her mother in Agawam.
“We sold art and craft supplies for 11 years, and when she wanted to retire, I knew I didn’t want to do retail. It’s very hard,” she said.
Barrientos said she was raised by artistic parents — her mother painted and her father was a woodworker. She took college-level art classes, some with her dad, and discovered her predisposition to painting.
Since she had no interest in retail, she and her husband built a home along with an attached art studio, where she began painting and teaching. While her first loves are monochromatic media — gray pencils and black ink pens — she taught oil and acrylic painting because her students loved color.
“When you’re teaching, you have to go with what the students want to do,” she said.
She taught for decades and sold hundreds of paintings, Barrientos frequently displaying her work at high-end galleries in the region. There, too, the preference was not pencil.
“I did a lot of work for galleries. They sold mostly paintings. They didn’t do well with drawings,” she said.
Barrientos retired from teaching six years ago. Now, no longer worried about what her students want to learn, she might have picked up her interest in pencils, but the time for that has passed.
“My vision has changed. I just can’t see detail. I don’t know how it looks close-up. I have to keep taking off my glasses. I’m adjusting. I would probably have to do charcoal, something a lot looser, because of the detail issue,” she said.
Barrientos is not only a painter, but a patron of the arts. Fourteen years ago, she and a friend created and ran the Terriers Around Town project. They commissioned artists to decorate fiberglass sculptures of the Western Highland white terrier, the high school’s sports mascot.
Businesses and private citizens sponsored 50 sculptures, and the drive raised up to $20,000 to advance the arts in West Springfield through initiatives such as art classes for children.
The West Side artist also co-founded the Red Thread Network for the Arts, a non-profit that continues to fund art-related activities such as a bus ride for fifth grade students to attend a play at West Springfield High School, art classes — paying for teachers, supplies and classroom rent — and several murals, including one that will commemorate the town’s 250th anniversary and be presented to the mayor in October.
The group’s operating budget comes from private donations, grants and an annual Yule Tree Jubilee fundraiser.
Barrientos said she has become known for her still-life paintings, such as apples in the fall, landscapes, and Monet’s Garden in France. She also paints what she loves — a portrait of her husband when he was a child, her grandparents and niece. There’s also one of a crystal Rose Bowl that belonged to her grandmother and a tea cup from her mother’s treasured collection.
She has also stood on the porch of a building at Tanglewood, painting a vista of the Housatonic River, which can’t be seen anymore from that vantage point anymore because the trees have grown so big.
“All of those things have meaning for me,” she said.
Barrientos paints because she finds it relaxing, and it’s good for her mental health. She supports art because it’s good for the community. That’s what a superintendent of schools once told her.
“Communities that have strong art programs have better graduation rates. He said there’s something about a community that supports the arts that does well. I took that to heart and tried to do things for the kids in town and for the community as a whole,” she said.
Barrientos spent 10 years on the board of directors of the Academic Artists Association, which was founded in Springfield, and five years as president of the Holyoke Arts League. She is also a long-time member of the West Springfield Rotary Club and West Springfield Garden Club.
“I retired from teaching, but I’m still busy,” she said. “My husband and I love this town. We feel a strong connection to it.”
Barrientos will be taking down her display at the library soon. It’s become physically demanding to move paintings in and out as she’s gotten older, but she’s glad she did this show.
“I wouldn’t normally do an art show, but I feel good about it. It’s a retrospective. It was interesting and good for me to look back at my career.”
The West Springfield Public Library features exhibits from local artists every month. For more information, check the calendar of events under “Programs and Services” at wspl.org. Local artists interested in exhibiting at the library may email director Eileen Chapman at echapman@wspl.org. The library is at 200 Park St., West Springfield, and the exhibit may be viewed during its regular hours.
