Artist Bio

“Joan does not pay attention in class.” These words, from my grade-school report card, were true, but only to a point. I was paying attention—to the colors, the sounds, and the emotions around me. At home, with the permission of my artistic mother, I would color on my walls. All my life, I gravitated toward art.

After graduating from the University of Maryland College Park with a degree in studio art, I studied figure drawing at the Jewish Community Center and plein air painting at the Yellow Barn Studio. I’ve taught art classes to children, entered local art shows, and have been honored to win many awards. Painting outdoors is my passion, and I am inspired to capture both figures and landscapes. I love color and the drama that is illuminated by lights and darks. Each painting tells a story, and it’s a story that each person connects with in their own unique way. I feel the music in art, with its loud and gentle notes—and I work to bring forth the rhythm and movement that turn a painting into a sort of dance.