JANET LONG

Founder and Artistic Director of Mona Lisa & Merlot

Janet is an artist concentrated in oil and acrylic mediums. Her paintings employ a wide range of techniques and styles, varying from children’s images to nude portraits.  From childhood, she has been passionate about art and went on to continue studying this passion at the collegiate level. Janet draws inspiration from her world travels and multicultural family, evident in the rich, bold colors and concentration on human form which are both so characteristic of her work.  Aiding children has always been a motivating force in her art, exemplified in donating a mural to a Russian orphanage, raising funds for the betterment of children’s lives, and transferring their youthful energy onto canvas. With the desire to share her love of painting, Janet founded Mona Lisa & Merlot, a paint and sip business,  unleashing the creativity in painters of all levels since 2011. Janet is also a freelance artist offering commissioned paintings and murals.  She currently resides in her suburban home outside Chicago enjoying life with her four children, and pet Newfoundland.