In 1971 Janet Fish exhibits her bold realist still lifes in New York in the 55 Mercer Street Gallery. She aims at painting the light that the “plastic wrap catches and which creates fascinating reflections" and said that she felt she hasn’t seen an object until she paints it. The New York TImes said that Fish's "ambitious still life painting helped resuscitate realism in the 1970's”.

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In NYC, she meets and befriends the artist Louise Nevelson, who becomes one of her supporter even though their artistic universes are very different. She introduces her to Dorothy Miller, one of the most influential art curator in American Art of the 20th century.