Billy J. Janis is a visual identity graphic designer, artist, and painter. Born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Janis, a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, spends his days and nights carefully mixing colors and layering watercolor paint onto his 2-dimensional creations.
He paints from the heart of what he knows, the Lakota people and culture, making his world come to life in watercolor, pencil, and acrylic media. He demonstrates his affinity with Lakota history and tradition in his paintings of Lakota women, men and children of past generations.
Although interpreting the history and preserving the memory of the Lakota people is his main objective, Janis said he is inspired by all things “…seeing the beauty of art all around us. It is what makes our world a livable space. From the design of the universe, this world and all that exist naturally, to the very thought of action, from concept first, to giving it life we use.”
- language credit from an interview with the artist in Native Sun News Today