Janis Knight has called Northern Nevada home for 50 years. During childhood, every summer was filled with trips to the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains where she fell in love with the beauty, wildness and open spaces of the Great Basin.
While art came naturally, it was her first Nikon SLR in 1982 that really ignited the passion for photography. A background in drawing and painting helped her develop her style using elements of composition and light. She began displaying photos in the Tri-county fair in Northern Nevada, often winning best of show and superior ribbons, and her photos hung in businesses around town.
Finally, in 2001, she was able to attend University of Nevada, Reno, where she studied black and white film photography and darkroom technique. Her portfolios always featured nature, studying landscape and the intricate character of outdoor light and scenery.
When digital cameras became affordable and reliable, Janis purchased her first DSLR and started her website, Home Planet Images, in 2005. Since then, she has sold her work on several websites, including Fine Art America, Smugmug, Adobe Stock, and Zazzle.com. She has shown her work at a number of venues around Reno and enjoys displaying her art at street fairs and markets. Her best selling works often include the beautiful Reno skyline and Lake Tahoe.
The first presentation of her exhibit, 'The Elegance of Wilderness, Photography of the Great Basin,' was during the 2016 Artown event. Since that time, the photos hung at the offices of Intuit for the Galleries at Work project coordinated by Sierra Arts Foundation, the South Valleys Public Library in Washoe County, and were displayed in the offices of Senator Jackie Rosen from Sept 2019 to Sept 2020.
Her work has also been honored to be featured in the Friends of Nevada Wilderness calendar, 'Wild Nevada,' and her photo of the Monte Cristo Range was on the cover of the 2016 calendar and Lightning Over Pyramid was the cover shot in 2020. Additional photos were featured in the 2017, 2018, and 2019 calendars. In the summer of 2016, her photograph of Reno's new Bridge over the Truckee River downtown won Nevada Magazine's 'Great Picture Hunt' in the cityscape division, and a 40x60 canvas print of the photograph was exhibited at the Reno Ace's Stadium during the 2017 Season.
Nevada Magazine has also featured Janis' work on a number of occasions, including two covers in 2018. That year, two of her Lamoille Canyon photos were also featured in AAA's Via Magazine.
Her photography has been displayed at Buenos Grill in west Reno since 2016, where receptions are held during Artown. Other current public displays include an exhibit at the Depot Gallery in Sparks, the new Veterans Center, Renown Medical Center, and Heritage Bank.
Always looking for the perfect light, Janis pursues her art on a near-daily basis, photographing the exquisite areas near home in Northern Nevada and beyond.
Home Planet Images is a registered Nevada business and photography is copyrighted under that name since 2005.
Exhibitions
2020: The Depot Gallery, Sparks NV
2019: The offices of Senator Jackie Rosen
2019: Buenos Grill (continuing since 2016)
2019: Friends of Nevada Wilderness Artown
2018: Washoe County Libraries-South Valleys
2018: Intuit - Art At Work (SFA)
2018: 'Truckee River Summer Day' and 'Last Light on Pyramid' Reno VA Center
2017: 'The Serengeti' Artown presentation
2017: Friends of Nevada Wilderness Artown
2016: The Elegance of Wilderness Artown
2016: 'New Bridge in Town' Reno Aces Skybox Exhibit
2015: Washoe County Library-Downtown Group Exhibit
Published
2021: National Geographic Learning, textbook 'Elephants at Sunset'
2019: 'Through the Lens' Lamoille Canyon, Nevada Magazine Jan-Feb.
2018: Nevada Magazine, cover, Nov-Dec.
2018: Nevada Magazine, cover, Jan-Feb.
2018: '150 Years in the Making, Reno Biggest Little Birthday' Nevada Magazine. 'Rays over Reno' two page spread May-June
2018: 'Ruby Mountain Rhapsody' Via Magazine 'Lions Camp' and 'Lamoille Creek in Fall,' Fall 2018
2017: 'The West's Offbeat Wonders' International Car Forest in Goldfield Nevada, Summer 2017
2017: Society Pages, cover, Nevada Humane Society, December 2017
2017: Nevada State Parks, Berlin-Ichthyosaur, Nevada Magazine Mar-April
2017: Wild Nevada calendar, Feb: Gold Butte; Dec: Reese River
2016: Nevada Wild calendar, cover
2016: The Great Picture Hunt, winner Cityscape, 'New Bridge in Town.' Sept-Oct.
2016: Reno Lens: Believe, Reno skylines and Rancho San Rafael in Spring, City of Reno
2014: Visions, Nevada Magazine, 'Eurasian Eagle Owl, Sept-Oct.
Janis Knight joined Pixels.com Licensing on July 8th, 2013.
