James B. Janknegt was born in Austin, Texas. He attended public schools and was a part of the Saturday Morning Art Project at the University of Texas all through junior and high school.
He attended art school at the Univeristy of Texas in Austin and graduated with a BFA in 1978. He left Texas and moved to Iowa City to attend graduate school where he worked with Mauricio Lasansky and Joe Patrick among others.
Upon graduating with an MA and MFA in 1982 he moved back to Austin and began exhibiting his work at the Patrick Gallery. When the Patrick Gallery closed up shop he began to show with the Lyons Matrix Gallery until they too closed their doors. He also showed his work during this time in many galleries and museums around Texas.
While in high school
Jim became a
Jesus Freak and was a part of The Well, a trans-denominational coffee
house where he painted murals on the walls and sang in the folk group.
When he moved back to
Austin many
of his old friends from The Well had migrated over to St. David's
Episcopal church where a contemporary folk mass had begun. After
several years he joined the folk group and illustrated several mass
booklets for music Kathy Kanewske had written. It was also at
St.
David's that Jim reconnected with Melissa Pena and subsequently married
her.
When the Episcopal Church moved out from under them, the Janknegts converted to Catholicism in 2005 and were received into full communion in 2007.
In 1998 the Janknegts moved from Austin to Elgin, Texas where the have an ArtFarm. They grow artists, fruits, vegetables, chickens, goats, guinea hens, peacocks, and ducks. They also have 5 dogs and 3 cats.
Jim has always worked full time to pay the bills and painted in his off hours. He has painted billboards, dressed store windows, driven a taxi, sold plumbing and hardware supplies, worked as a graphic artist assistant, run an offset printing press, been a procurement officer and a building manager and taught private art lessons. He has been the building manager for the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin since December of 2006.
When he is not working or painting he enjoys reading, building things, gardening, tending to animals and camping. He also enjoys watching movies and listening to music. He is currently the president of the board of Regina Mater, a homeschooling initiative where his daughter goes to school.
When the Episcopal Church moved out from under them, the Janknegts converted to Catholicism in 2005 and were received into full communion in 2007.
In 1998 the Janknegts moved from Austin to Elgin, Texas where the have an ArtFarm. They grow artists, fruits, vegetables, chickens, goats, guinea hens, peacocks, and ducks. They also have 5 dogs and 3 cats.
Jim has always worked full time to pay the bills and painted in his off hours. He has painted billboards, dressed store windows, driven a taxi, sold plumbing and hardware supplies, worked as a graphic artist assistant, run an offset printing press, been a procurement officer and a building manager and taught private art lessons. He has been the building manager for the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin since December of 2006.
When he is not working or painting he enjoys reading, building things, gardening, tending to animals and camping. He also enjoys watching movies and listening to music. He is currently the president of the board of Regina Mater, a homeschooling initiative where his daughter goes to school.