Janet Smedley is both the mother of and daughter of an artist.

For Smedley, that meant growing up with the smell of oil paint and an early trip to Florence with her mother, Joyce Smedley, to see the masterpieces of the Uffizi Gallery.  Later that meant going to Nice, France with her daughter, Diana Smedley Egnatz, to see the Matisse Museum after other trips together to Paris and Amsterdam to see the great works. Smedley walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain, but first stopped in Madrid to see the Velasquez Room in the Prado Museum.

Her journey began at the Rhode Island School of Design where she received her BFA and B Architecture degrees. Working in Washington DC and then Chicago, exposed her to world class art and architecture.  She went on to study both fiber arts and painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she received her MFA.

In 2008, Smedley took up painting full time, fulfilling her dream of a lifetime.  Working in oils and acrylics and textiles, her work is in collections in New York, Pennsylvania, Nashville, Vancouver and Sydney, Australia. 

For Smedley, it is important to feel part of the continuum of art through the centuries, to see the world through other artists' eyes. The joy that comes from actualizing her ideas feeds her life.  She is very aware of the luxury of having the time and space to follow ideas to their fullness. This is apparent as she celebrates her unique worldview in her paintings. 

Smedley continues to travel the world yet lives and works in a historic 18th century town in Pennsylvania.