About the Artist
Native to California and raised on the Sacramento Delta. Mt. Diablo loomed over the landscape of rolling hills, and the twists and turns of the Sacramento river. This background provided Joann with a limitless supply of exploration and subjects to fuel her artistic desire.
As child, Joann would experiment with different mediums in attempts to capture the invisible atmosphere between the foothills and mountains. Today, friends and family continue to exhibit her early works of art on walls in their homes.
In her teens, Joann was commissioned to supply framed drawings of the area’s natural gas drilling rigs for a local gentlemen’s club which were used for fund raising during special events. Joann's drawings were well received and the experience continues be a treasured passage in her artistic journey.
Joann's life plan evolved to marry, raise a family, operate a small business with her husband and she hoped, when the time was right, to eventually focus on her art work. All was going as planned, the marriage was great, the family was grown with spouses of their own and the business was stable. Occasionally, Joann would create a water color painting for a relative, simply to bring enjoyment and color into their home.
In the fall of 2008, Joann received a phone call from Taylor's Art & Soul in Sacramento, California. The gallery owner claimed she had recently visited the home of Joann’s relative and had the pleasure of viewing her water color “Angie's Leaves". The gallery owner expressed a desire to exhibit Joann's work as soon as she could deliver. Joann hung up the phone and with her husband's encouragement, took two entire minutes do decide that the time had come to focus on being a serious artist.
Joann hit the floor running. She joined the local art association - Alliance of California Artists - and has been on the board for the past 3 years. She is currently serving as President of the Alliance.
She has entered multiple art competitions earning awards for all placements, including the honor of being selected as the Central Valley’s Blossom Trail poster artist two years in a row. This poster has been collected by individuals from all over the world for over 25 years.
Winning Best of Show at the Clovis Memorial Veteran’s show gifted Joann with the honor to be introduced to Carlene Kostiw, a renowned master painter best known for her water color paintings. Carlene's mentorship has been instrumental in the growth and success of Joann's work and technique, and they continue to work together.
From time to time, Joann attends workshops with friend and teacher Mike Bailey who has given her the foundation of the elements and prinsicple of design. This learning process has brought Joann’s work to a high level of accomplishment she so desired for many years.
Joann and her husband reside in Ocean Shores, Washington. There she can be found in her studio painting and getting ready for the next competition or event.
“There is no limit to what my imagination can produce. My only concern is not having enough time to complete all of the ideas I desire to put on paper. My favorite and most successful pieces have been the ones that personally moved me. I hope to instill emotion as well as the sound and scent into each painting, never limiting myself to one subject.”
