Janet Montecalvo was raised in Quincy, Massachusetts. She graduated cum laude with a BA in studio art from Emmanuel College of Boston. She was fortunate to briefly study painting with John Terelak during her student teaching semester. She currently works at Tripp Street Studios of Framingham.
Her career included a variety of disciplines in commercial art. Mural painting at Children's Hospital during her undergrad and post graduate year led her to seek more instruction in paint application in public spaces. After a 3-year apprenticeship with the International Brotherhood of Sign Painters and Allied Trades she became the first female licensed sign painter in Boston. By 1981 she began her own business providing lettering, graphic design and illustration services to retailers, design firms, ad agencies, real estate developers and television and film productions. In 1985 she received Emmy accolades for her graphic design contributions on the television movie,"I'll Be Home for Christmas", starring Hal Holbrook and Courtney Cox.
Children's book illustration became a major focus during the next 15 plus years. Her illustrations in the book,"Sofie and the City" were nominated by Boyds Mill Press(the book division of Highlights Publishing) for the Golden Kite Award in 2007. These illustrations were presented in a solo exhibit at the Danforth Museum of Framingham, MA.
Montecalvo's different stages of her career are linked by a common thread-each position revealing her penchant for detailed work and honed her appreciation for design and craftsmanship. However, each phase left her yearning for the creativity she found in her oil painting as an undergrad. Her paintings have been described as "contemporary archeology". She explores the spaces and physical objects associated with day to day mid-20th century to present life in the United States. Specific details of these objects and scenes evoke stories of what ordinary people do and what they hold dear. There is a "presence of absence"-that humans aren't physically present, but evidence of their actions and interests is very much the subject. Montecalvo invites the viewer up-close and personal into a world of simple pleasures from the past and present.