Janis Porter is a Mendocino artist who was born, raised, and educated in Berkeley,California. She studied history and education at the University of California at Berkeley earning two Masters of Arts degrees. She worked as a teacher in public schools for many years and taught student teachers as a University Supervisor.
    After a lifetime of interest in art, she began painting watercolors in 1998. Although she studied with some noted artists, including Betty Saarni, Nancy Collins, and Patricia Osborne, she is primarily self taught.
    She has shown her work at California Watercolor Association shows, Hammons Gallery in Kensington, CA, Blackhawk Gallery in Danville, CA, the Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino Rotary Club auctions, the Artists' Co-op of Mendocino, and various other shows. She has won several awards.
    She says of her work, " I love the medium of watercolor and the freedom it affords. I am mainly interested in design, color, and line. Most of my work is very colorful and somewhat abstract often with a floral theme. However I like to paint landscapes as well."
    Currently her work may be seen at the Mendocino Art Center, Edgewater Gallery in Fort Bragg and the Artists' Co-op of Mendocino.