Janet Levi's bateas

by Eric Jackson
photos and captions by Janet Levi

Janet Levi, US-born but a long-time Panama resident, works in several art forms but mostly she paints, and most of what she paints are bateas. The painting of wooden trays is an ancient pre-Columbian artistic tradition on the isthmus, and almost all the places that sell Panamanian artwork to tourists offer bateas painted with ancient Coclean designs. Levi, however, brings a range of modern influences — paints in colors that the artists of Urraca's time didn't have, techniques pioneered by folks as diverse as the impressionists and Picasso, and domesticated cats, to name a few — to batea art.

Here we have a small selection that's cat-dominated, but the cats and dog with whom she shares her house and studio in Balboa are but a small part of Janet's artistic world. A lot of her work features Afro-Panamanian, indigenous or Jewish themes. Birds, snakes, caymen and mangroves appear frequently among her nature themes. She also decorates furniture, usually with artistic representations of things that naturally go with the purpose of the object.

Levi, after being out of action for a good part of last year due to illness, is working again, with her latest project a website through which to sell her work. If you are interested in seeing or buying more of her art (or better yet, if you want to hire her to do a grand project like your restaurant or office), you can contact Janet Levi by email at jrlevi@cwp.net.pa or visit her Website at www.batealady.com.