Meet Joan

Welcome to my studio!

I love to learn, to teach and share, and to create pictures. My husband and I live in a green valley filled with dairy farms and patchwork fields of hay, corn, and alfalfa. We are surrounded by meringue topped mountains forested with aspen and mountain maple. Stream carved canyons radiate out like compass points.

While growing up in Chicago, I drew pictures with watercolor and crayons of snowy mountains, deer and cabins, never realizing that some day I could live here. When I was small my mother taught me the names of flowers and trees and how to protect rabbits cuddled in a furry nest in her backyard garden.

As a college student I finally decided to be an elementary teacher, because I could study everything! as I prepared for the degree. And I could teach little people how exciting it is to be alive. We have seven children, many who are also educators and busy raising our grandchildren.

Numerous artists paint nature with beautiful colors and good design and knowledgeable composition. However, when an artist has painted enough work, the images begin to reflect the inner self. As for me, they are a lens that reveal my experience, knowledge and gratitude for God’s creations. My paintings reflect what I find meaningful in life: God, His plan for us, His creations, and family. I value integrity, education, and service. I imagine that anyone looking at my work senses this and sometimes identifies with who I am. I paint to share the pleasure I find in what I see around me. The painting is successful, when I feel I have portrayed my experience. And because I was born with an artist’s spirit, I find joy in the process and cannot imagine spending a day without creating something!