Joanne is a graduate of Lancaster Mennonite High School and graduated with a fine art degree from Goshen College in the 1980s. She did not start oil painting seriously until 2009, when she took a plein air painting class at PA College of Art & Design and learned how to paint outdoors on location. Joanne shares about her work below.
“I’ve been painting outdoors with oil paints for over 12 years. Growing up on a farm in Lancaster County, PA, I’ve always found inspiration in natural beauty. My goal with each painting is to express beauty: to instill a sense of wonder, to marvel at the variety in nature, and to share a mood or feeling that the place inspired. I’m trying to capture the soul of the place on my canvas.”
“Growing up on a farm in Lancaster County, PA, I’ve always found inspiration in natural beauty. Noticing the beauty in familiar scenes led me eventually to try to paint those scenes I love. I like using oil paints because of the dramatic lights and darks and the strength of color that oil paints give. I am intrigued by strong value contrasts, patterns, subtle shifts of color and soft shapes. My goal with each painting is to express beauty: to instill a sense of wonder, to marvel at the variety in nature, and to share a mood or feeling that the place inspired.”
