J-Life Article

Thank you Jill for approaching me to write this wonderful piece:

Janna doesn’t draw or paint, but she’s an integral

part of the Central Florida art scene all the same. That’s

because the 26-year-old is a sought-after artist’s model

and muse.

“I enjoy being a backup dancer to the creative process,” says

Janna. “It gives me a place

in this world to be able to create something, even though it’s

more of an indirect approach.”

Janna’s dream of modeling began in 2015 when she

attended Nude Nite Orlando, a body-themed art

exhibition. Janna was fascinated, but right away she

noticed a lack of models with full figures, like she has. So,

she approached a bodypainting artist and arranged to be

painted at his studio.

Soon enough, Janna was working as a model, herself, at bodypainting events.

Which means her plus-size body literally becomes an artist’s canvas for all sorts of

whimsical and fantastical designs.

Those bodypainting events led to Janna modeling for fine-art departments at local

colleges and universities. For these gigs, models typically pose nude to enable

students to accurately depict the human form. Janna also models at Crealde

School of Art’s open studio sessions and poses via Zoom for art schools around

the country.

For her fine-art modeling, Janna usually strikes poses ranging from 30 seconds to

45 minutes, so artists can practice quick sketches as well as more detailed portrait

work. Staying still is a learned skill Janna has mastered, although she does allow

her mind to wander freely.

“I meditate or think of what I have to do when I get home or plan my schedule in

my head,” she says.

Posing naked (or wearing little more than paint) was a shock to her system at first,

but now Janna feels at ease despite being exposed.

“I feel so secure in what I do because I’ve been painted hundreds of times,” says

Janna, who was bullied about her weight as a kid.

In addition to modeling in Central

Janna modeling face paint and a

Florida, she has worked in Los Angeles, California;

balloon dress at a convention

Chicago, Illinois; and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Eventually, Janna hopes to model in-person in all

50 states.

In addition, the multi-talented Janna is a newly

published author. This summer, she released a

deeply personal anthology of poems, narratives,

and quotes titled Viva La Yves: Sensual Brain Food &

Experiences in Thought. Janna uses Yves instead of

Gluck as her muse and pen name.

Janna sees herself not only as an artist’s model

but also as a role model. She hopes her physical

presence at art events and her likeness on

canvases will open minds and illustrate that

all shapes and sizes are beautiful.

“I enjoy knowing that my body is a vessel

for understanding,” says Janna.

Cover Sketch by Eliza Casler