Joan describes herself as a traditional watercolorist, merging exquisite detail with panoramic scenes that employ both soft and vivid colors. Joan has always been interested in art and jokingly says that her creativity “peaked” when she was in kindergarten and used her elbows to paint with finger paints and create prints that looked remarkably like morning glories. Her painting received so much attention that the school principal asked Joan to describe her “process”. Joan’s interest in art continued, encouraged by her mother, a gifted amateur artist, throughout her childhood and adolescence. Joan says that she stopped creating art sometime in high school, when academics took precedence. Even though Joan wasn’t creating art throughout most of her academic career, she found a way to incorporate her two loves, mathematics and art. She taught courses and wrote books on the numerous connections between art and mathematics. Joan hoped that by recognizing these connections, her students (future teachers) would learn to appreciate the everyday applications of mathematics that enhanced their lives.
As Joan neared retirement she decided to take a watercolor course, based on the recommendation of her childhood friend. That was 10 years ago. Since that time, Joan has worked tirelessly to master the art of watercolor through workshops with nationally and internationally recognized artists as well as excellent local teachers. Joan is a perfectionist and applies the same diligence and focus to her watercolor as she did to her academic pursuits. While she says she can always find something that “could be improved”, her work has been very well received and exhibited in numerous venues. Joan’s work is collected by watercolor enthusiasts from Maine to California. She continues to develop her skills and, over the past few years, has incorporated pen and wash, a combination of black ink and watercolor, into some of her creations. Joan travels to Maine each Summer for inspiration because she says there are more artists there, per square mile, than anywhere else.
All of Joan’s work is professionally framed with non-glare UV protected glass and acid free conservation matting that will last a lifetime.