Janette Church was born in 1981, and given the nickname of "Peanut" almost immediately. She was raised in Plano, Texas, just outside Dallas. At the age of 18, Janette left home to study Visual Art and Painting at Brigham Young University, where she graduated with her Bachelor's Degree in August of 2002.

There have been many events leading up to Janette becoming a self-sufficient artist. She has her family and many friends to thank for their support and encouragement. Without it, she wouldn't be where she is today.

In 1999, just before leaving home for college, she participated in a youth event, in which she displayed her artwork. A few days later, she literally "bumped" into Ernie Willmore, a building manager from Dallas, who had been at the same event and seen her work. He offered her a chance to paint two pieces for the lobby of an investment building downtown.

As a senior in high school, she had just happened into the greatest event of her life, and her very first commissioned piece. Naive and inexperienced, she had to turn to her dad's secretary to create an invoice--she didn't know what one was, much less how to create one.

A few months later when all was said and done, the manager paid her $1800.00 for the pieces; however, the experience was priceless and life changing.

Equipped with nothing more than one commissioned piece to her resume, she began networking herself to get the word out that she was now for hire.

A half a dozen commissioned paintings and drawings followed almost immediately. During the next year while she began her freshman year of college, she was once again very fortunate to happen into a few more commission jobs.

While away at school, she participated in several art shows and functions, and continued to push herself to the next level of painting. In school she was taught that no one would care what she could do, unless she proved herself first.

Throughout college, she continued to work as a commissioned artist and graphic designer, never forgetting the words of wisdom that her high school AP art teacher, Tim Hunt, gave her: Prove Yourself First. Janette believed that if she could learn the skills required, later she could paint what she wanted.

In February of 2002, she married her best friend and biggest support, Gary Church. She finished out her last semester of school, and graduated at the end of the summer in 2002.

Upon graduation, Janette headed straight for home...Dallas. Without a plan, she immediately made the mistake of accepting the first office job that came along, all the while looking for a way that she could make a living doing what she loved...painting.

It was then that her husband really started to encourage her to begin listing her paintings on eBay. She immediately discounted the idea as cliche, and left it at that.

She was offered several other commission jobs here and there, but nothing that she could do regularly.

Nine months later, she quit the first real job she had ever had. Again, her husband was there to encourage her towards eBay, and again Janette refused.

Instead, she moved directly into another job, where she would continue to spend her spare time trying to come up with a way that she could use her artwork and be successful at the same time.

It wasn't until a year and a half later, during a very late night, that her husband finally convinced her to give eBay a shot. Janette agreed to try eBay, on one condition: when the idea failed, Gary would have to leave her alone about it and never mention it again.

A few weeks later, Janette listed her first nine paintings on eBay...and every last one sold. She had lost the deal. Gary had won not only bragging rights, but the right to say "I told you so."

The next week, Janette listed several more paintings and all but one sold. There was no denying it at that point. She promptly gave her two weeks notice at her current job, and spent the next two weeks working 80 hours a week to keep up with eBay.

She is now doing what she loves, and is incredibly fortunate to be making a living at the same time. So much for "starving artists". She paints day and night, and spends her spare time photographing her works for sale.

She has become an internationally collected artist, with collectors in Italy, Aruba, Canada, Germany, France, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Chile, Australia, UK, Turkey, India, Denmark, and the United States. With sales exceding 1,050 paintings worldwide, she now looks forward to selling more artwork to other countries across the globe. She also hopes to open up a store front in Dallas someday.

Most recently, Janette and her husband Gary welcomed two children into the world, Ryan and Ashley. Since then, Janette has decided to scale back the time that she dedicates to her work in order to raise a family. To quote David O. McKay, "No other success can compensate for failure in the home." She strongly believes that the most important job goes on within the four walls of the home.

Thank you for visiting The Peanut Gallery - To view a list of recent and current paintings, updated on a daily basis, please visit Janette's daily blog at: http://www.janettechurch.blogspot.com.

- - Come back and visit again soon!