Janice I. Cronin was raised in a five-college valley in Western Massachusetts where she was immersed in all forms of the arts and a culture focused on intellectual pursuits. Like her mother before her, she received her bachelor’s degree from nearby Mount Holyoke College, an all-women’s college. Her major was Studio Art with a concentration in printmaking. 

Contrary to her degree, growing up in a middle class, predominantly female household, the emphasis was on hard work and practical choices. So, following college, Janice pursued a path in art conservation and restoration and completed two internships, one at Williamstown Art Conservation Center and the other at Chesterwood, the museum estate of sculptor Daniel Chester French. She considered pursuing a graduate degree in art conservation, but it seemed too limiting and life had other plans. Keeping with her ingrained practical choices, Janice went to work for various high-tech businesses and eventually worked her way up to management levels. Over the next 20 years, she completed her MBA degree, received various promotions, and assisted in the startup of a $30m business. Her occupation required her to travel internationally, but she still found time to start a family and return to art in her free time.  

Starting in 1998, Janice studied at the Art League School of Alexandria, VA where artists such as “ARC Living Master” Robert Liberace renewed her interest in classical realism and Salmagundi Painting Prize winner Danni Dawson inspired her love for color. Eventually, Janice was able to leave her business career behind and focus exclusively on her art and her family. In 2012, she enrolled in the MFA-Painting degree program at the Academy of Art University (AAU) in San Francisco, which she completed in May 2022.