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Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art

Owner Biographies

(l-r) Owners Jim Janes & Mark Smith

“We help our clients see the art and distinguish what it is they are looking for, so they can become secure and confident when they walk into a gallery on their own. They must enjoy it – that's the first thing.” - Jim Janes

“Art elevates the human spirit in a way that nothing else does. It changes people's lives, one experience at a time. It's not really a product; it's basically an emotional experience.” - Mark Smith

Jim Janes
Jim Janes has always been interested in business. “Even as a child, I had the most fun ‘playing store,'” he says.

Today, the central Texas native is following the role of founding partner of Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, selling traditional representational art and encouraging and promoting emerging artists.

“I always had an interest in art, but I actually applied paint to canvas only a couple of times many years ago – that's it,” he says.

Janes attended North Texas State University, where he received a bachelor's degree in education and a master's degree in school administration and supervision. He worked for North East Independent School District for five years as a teacher, then seven years as an administrator. But his interest in business took him away from academia and onto a more entrepreneurial path.

He owned a small jewelry store, the Tobacco Bowl and a small flower and gift shop called the Arbor at North Star Mall. He sold those businesses, but his heart belonged to “playing store.”

Janes and Mark Smith purchased a do-it-yourself frame shop in Alamo Heights in 1982 after meeting with a business broker.

Janes' underlying interest in art, coupled with a talent for business and his educational background, have served him well.

“A big part of what we do is education,” he says. “We help our clients see the art and distinguish what it is they are looking for, so they can become secure and confident when they walk into a gallery on their own. They must enjoy it – that's the first thing.”

Mark Smith
Mark Smith, a founding partner of Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, has been in sales since high school, but he sees his work representing some of the world's leading artists as something beyond mere sales.

“Art elevates the human spirit in a way that nothing else does,” says Smith, a native Texan. “It changes people's lives, one experience at a time. It's not really a product; it's basically an emotional experience.”

Known as a people person, Smith sees his role as that of a facilitator, helping collectors find works of art that speak to them. “The joy is in the experience of helping someone really connect with a painting,” he says. “Our priority is to have the integrity for the collector – does it work for them? Our opinions are always honest. We gain their trust and would never betray that.”

Although he has no formal training in art, Smith says, his natural aesthetic sense and good eye for design made the gallery a natural choice when he and Jim Janes were presented with the opportunity in 1982 to buy what was then a small frame shop.

“The art background is right here,” he says, tapping on his chest in the vicinity of his heart. “We follow our heart.”

He encourages clients to do the same. “I have talked people out of pieces before. I can tell when they are moved and when they're not. If they have any doubts, I encourage them to fully explore their feelings before making a decision.”