Joanne was born in Surrey and has lived in and around London all her life. She originally trained as a classical pianist at the Royal College of Music, but coming from a family of artists has followed both disciplines throughout her career. She has exhibited extensively, with her work hanging in both private and corporate collections throughout the world. Her painting practice is primarily process led and takes many forms. ‘I always start from a blank canvas in my head, as well as physically on the easel. I don’t plan ahead as to what the finished piece might look like. I have to step off the creative edge in order to fall into something that engages me. The paint itself – how it moves, runs, layers and the colours and textures that arrive through the act of painting, are what delight me. My best work always comes from a place of risk and experimentation. The process starts with fast, intuitive, and often very physical painting and then just looking and analysing what I have done in order to make decisions about the next move and where the painting is telling me to go. This absolute freedom allows for an energetic, raw and untamed approach. Once the canvas is alive, I search for clarity and refinement to bring it together. It is a dance between the two states – allowing the evidence of the journey to remain (the drips and unintentional marks, the scratches and layers), resisting the urge to tidy and tame but still editing and covering some elements to allow beauty and calm to exist alongside the rugged. The destination I arrive at is often coastal in its nature – I am always drawn to a blue palette and the movement of water and the strength and solidity of coastline. When the work gravitates towards landscape, it is never a literal description of an actual place. But more a capturing of the feeling and energy of the elements. The process of ‘not knowing’ can mean many changes and overpainting, but when I trust in the uncertainty something magical and unexpected can appear’.
