Now residing in the Southern California desert, Janis was born in 1953 in Los Angeles.  As a young man, Janis was influenced by both early abstractionists, especially Vassily Kandinsky, as well as by the surrealists Jean Miro and Kurt Schwitters.  Later, his frequent travels to Japan led to a strong appreciation of the Ukiyo-e prints of Japanese woodcut masters like Hiroshige and Hokusai. “Their curious patterns and colors have also influenced my work .”

 In the 70’s Janis moved to the Bay area where he founded San Francisco Art Framing and gained clients among the region’s top galleries such as Modernism Gallery, Sloan and Miyasato, and Berggruen Gallery. Of that period Janis says, “ One day I’d be framing a 500 year old renaissance woodcut by Durer and the next I’d be cutting a mat for a 1914 drawing by the Russian Cubo-Futurist Kasimir Malevich.” These experiences provided him a wealth of art education, allowing him to see up close what was fine art and why. Lessons such as these, combined with his personal journey have informed Janis’s work, giving him the inspiration to channel what is in his heart and soul onto the canvas.