Janis Ni was born in Redding California but spent much of her childhood moving from place to place. As the daughter of a BLM Forrester she moved around a lot as a kid and was often living in relatively remote areas such as outside Anchorage, Alaska. Because of this she developed a huge appreciation for the natural world, this is what the majority of her art revolves around. During her late teens and early twenties she persued a degree in Fine Arts and Print Making from Colorado State University in Fort Collins. After getting her degree she moved to Las Vegas and then shortly after to Reno, it was here in Reno that she started a mural business. It was around this time that she painted the acrylic paintings in the Early Work Gallery. A number of years later Janis returned to school to seek a degree in teaching, and is now at the end of a multi-decade career as a school teacher. She will be retiring at the end of the 2024 school year which will allow her more time to practice her art.