Alfred Janes was born in 1911 in Swansea, South Wales. He attended the Swansea College of Art, where he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy Schools in London. Alfred stayed in London for a few years in good company as he shared a flat for a while with Dylan Thomas. He returned to live in Swansea, painting still-life and portraits, subjects for which he has become so well known for, and teaching part-time. The outbreak of the war interrupted his art career, however when he moved to Croydon some years later he was invited to take up a position at Croydon School of Art where he became a popular teacher. Alfred died in February 1999.