Jeanette Getrost
We are delighted to introduce Jeanette Getrost, a celebrated American artist known for her fashion illustrations. Her expertise in figure drawing and vintage fashion has led to collaborations with luxury brands like Chanel, Dior, and Fendi. Recognized by Vogue as one of the industry's most sought-after illustrators, she has recently expanded her creative pursuits to include oil painting, interior design, art direction, and filmmaking.
In her Hai Society, Jeanette shares valuable insights into her creative process, lessons learned along the way and her sources of inspiration. Explore her journal to see her illustrations and paintings, including a beautiful drawing of our Constance Ballerinas.
When did you realise you wanted to be an artist?
I remember the first time I felt moved by a painting. I was around 10 years old on a field trip at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. We were in a room filled with Monet’s work and we had to study a painting for 10 minutes. I can remember other kids finding the whole thing boring, but I loved it. I’m not sure if that was "when", but I can recall several other moments like that where I felt lit up at the prospect of art and creation. I don’t think it was until college though that I genuinely thought of it as something one could do as a career.
Of everything you’ve worked on, what are you proudest of?
There was a music video I directed and we had a really small window to put it all together. I wore several hats so-to-speak beyond writing and directing, such as set-dressing (I turned my living room into a black box) and hand-made the props and such. It was one of those rare experiences where the work felt unmanageable at times, but there was so much passion driving it that I just loved the entire experience. The result came pretty close to concept, making it all the sweeter.
When do you know that it’s time to give up on something that you’re working on?
Sometimes it’s when I’ve overworked a painting, or drawing past the point of no return. It’s a delicate dance of how little I can do to achieve a desired effect. Giving up can also be an invitation to pivot, which is an important moment to be aware of. A change in direction is often what makes way for a breakthrough.
Tell us about your creative process.
It is constant and varied. I spend lots of time researching and discovering films, books and music. I have built out a pretty extensive resource library for myself and I’ll pull from that for various projects. I create a lot of paintings and drawings that I consider “studies” from found images, or photos I take. That process usually opens me up to broader concepts and ideas. The film/music video work I’ve done has consisted of taking long walks, listening to music over and over and dreaming up a narrative.
When did you feel that you’d found ‘your’ style? Or is this something that you’re still working out?
I’ve had a long-ish artistic career at this point, which has involved quite a few evolutions. I’m curious by nature and like to explore different mediums. The throughline is that I know what I like and what I’m drawn to, and it’s best to follow that and not “think” about it too much.
If you could live in any city in the world, what would it be?
That is the question I am asking myself now. I’ve lived in Los Angeles for my whole life, but have been living nomadically since the summer. Though, I would choose a village, or market town over a city. I need to be close to nature at this point in time.
When did you realise you wanted to be an artist?
I remember the first time I felt moved by a painting. I was around 10 years old on a field trip at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. We were in a room filled with Monet’s work and we had to study a painting for 10 minutes. I can remember other kids finding the whole thing boring, but I loved it. I’m not sure if that was "when", but I can recall several other moments like that where I felt lit up at the prospect of art and creation. I don’t think it was until college though that I genuinely thought of it as something one could do as a career.
Of everything you’ve worked on, what are you proudest of?
There was a music video I directed and we had a really small window to put it all together. I wore several hats so-to-speak beyond writing and directing, such as set-dressing (I turned my living room into a black box) and hand-made the props and such. It was one of those rare experiences where the work felt unmanageable at times, but there was so much passion driving it that I just loved the entire experience. The result came pretty close to concept, making it all the sweeter.
When do you know that it’s time to give up on something that you’re working on?
Sometimes it’s when I’ve overworked a painting, or drawing past the point of no return. It’s a delicate dance of how little I can do to achieve a desired effect. Giving up can also be an invitation to pivot, which is an important moment to be aware of. A change in direction is often what makes way for a breakthrough.
Tell us about your creative process.
It is constant and varied. I spend lots of time researching and discovering films, books and music. I have built out a pretty extensive resource library for myself and I’ll pull from that for various projects. I create a lot of paintings and drawings that I consider “studies” from found images, or photos I take. That process usually opens me up to broader concepts and ideas. The film/music video work I’ve done has consisted of taking long walks, listening to music over and over and dreaming up a narrative.
When did you feel that you’d found ‘your’ style? Or is this something that you’re still working out?
I’ve had a long-ish artistic career at this point, which has involved quite a few evolutions. I’m curious by nature and like to explore different mediums. The throughline is that I know what I like and what I’m drawn to, and it’s best to follow that and not “think” about it too much.
If you could live in any city in the world, what would it be?
That is the question I am asking myself now. I’ve lived in Los Angeles for my whole life, but have been living nomadically since the summer. Though, I would choose a village, or market town over a city. I need to be close to nature at this point in time.