MUSICIANS JANEY KATZ - Zia Publishing

Mention the name Janey Katz atjust about any salvage yard in New Mexicojaneyor Arizona, and they'll know her.KATZWRITTEN BY PAT YOUNGPHOTOGRAPHY BY JOE BURGESSopposite: Janey Katzwith her collection ofold truck doors andhoods from whichspring truck crittersand angels (insetsabove and page 40)....The owner might even show you a sculpture she has given as a token of appreciation.That's because Janey frequents salvage yards searching for old car hoods and doors tocreate what she calls “re-in-CARn-ART.”“It's a little bit above recycling,” she says, flashing a warm, genuine smile that reappearsfrequently when she talks. She transforms forgotten car parts into works of art.It all began in the early 1990's in Santa Fe. Janey says she was waiting tables, butarthritis caused her to quit.“I've always been attracted to the patina on old cars and trucks,” she says. “I used tobe a painter. So I thought, I'll paint using these colors. Then I thought, why don't I justuse the vehicle?"She discovered an old hood in an arroyo. Her blacksmith suggested she get a plasmacutter, and the rest is history.“All I had to do was ‘draw’ with the plasma cutter,” Janey says. She never sketches onthe metal first.Janey started with nudes, then angels holding animals. The solo animals, well knownas “Hood Ornaments,” or critter pins, and “Critters from the Hood,” or critter38 – SILVER CITY LIFE