⠀⠀"My artwork is purposefully abstract to invite viewers to enter the composition and co-create its meaning. To encourage shared interpretations, I create experiential compositions influenced by the colors, shapes, and textures of nature which I correlate with the sensations of sound and touch.
⠀⠀My inspiration from nature manifests in lyrical compositions with organic forms, meandering vines, floral motifs, and leaf-like clusters. Flowing lines and layered transparencies allude to the harmony and mystery of nature, touching on the spiritual."
⠀⠀Janis is an accomplished abstract artist with more than 20 years' experience. She first studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before earning a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley with a minor in fine art. She also holds a Ph.D. from Missouri School of Journalism with a minor in visual studies. She is lead author of the book Visual Communication Insights and Strategies (Wiley, 2020) and since 2005 has taught visual communication courses at the university level, including during two Fulbright appointments in Europe.
Fulbright Specialist grantee, “Visual Culture in America,” Transilvania University, Brasov, Romania, May 2023
Fulbright Distinguished Chair grantee, “Visual Culture of the Roma”, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic, fall 2018
International Communication Association annual meeting, Prague, Czech Republic, 2022, “Within and Without” painting juried into Digital Artifacts exhibit.
Central Station Gallery, Wilmette, IL, September 2024
Inchworks, North Shore Art League, Winnetka, IL, 2024-2025
Well Versed, Dittmar Memorial Gallery, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 2024
Abstraction, North Shore Art League, Winnetka, IL, 2024
SPACE, City of Cape Canaveral (FL) CAPE Center, Summer 2024
Inspired by, North Shore Art League, Winnetka, IL, 2024
Members Show, North Shore Art League, Winnetka, IL, 2024
EAC Student Exhibition, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL, 2023
Linked, Gallery OTR, Evanston, IL, 2022
Mix it up, Eau Gallery, Melbourne, FL, 2022
It’s What We Create, Fine Line Creative Arts Center, St. Charles, IL, 2016
⠀⠀Her paintings have been acquired by collectors in the Chicago area and throughout the U.S.