About Joanne
 
My paintings are about reconnecting, slowing down, pausing, breathing, getting quiet as often as possible, recalibrating our nervous system and creative soul. Creativity has been the light to my inner ecology, centering my inverse amidst the evolving landscape of life. It has provided solace and compassion during times of unease and pain, as well as wonder nuggets of joy, bliss, and peace. I aim to always paint from a higher feeling place on a path of deep connection, unwavering resilience, and profound growth, navigating loss but it’s not always possible..
 
So my creative practice becomes my practice…
 
The Seeds

In 1998, I worked with the Oglala Lakota Sioux Medicine Men at Fort Peck Reservation, Montana, and participated in three sacred sweat lodges and this forever impacted my life.

Today my process is still evolving and now devotional teachings and Buddhist philosophy are also deeply informing my practice.

The Sacred Practice of Repetition

The repetition of divine Buddha imagery in my work has unfurled as a deeply creative spiritual ritual. Historically, each pose, gesture, and depiction of the Buddha is imbued with tradition and meaning, adhering to precise rules and measurements. My approach celebrates human imperfection rather than striving for flawless representation, embracing the softening, forgiveness, and grace found in our flaws and the passage of time. By incorporating torn tissue paper with intentional wrinkles and tears, I reflect on our imperfections on the pilgrimage towards enlightenment, rather than depicting the arrival at the end of the path.

Techniques and Inspirations

I love earthy hues, intricate textural patterns, and iridescent backgrounds to evoke the essence of ancient divine scriptures and crumbling temple walls. My intention is for my paintings to evoke the sensation of faded archaeological discoveries from hidden sacred, snow-capped sites and deep forests, suggesting a sense of mystery and timelessness. Fascinated by Tibetan thangka paintings and story telling, I seek to capture something of the beauty and spiritual significance of these ancient works, blending their essence into a contemporary narrative that bridges the past and present.

Meditative Mark-Making and Symbolism

Each painting begins with a mark-making practice that serves as both meditation and a stream of consciousness. Using black ink on fragile tissue paper, I create an unknown language and mysterious symbols that arrived in 2022.

I've always been drawn to Indigenous shamanic art. In many cultures, dots are employed in artistic expression to signify various aspects of life, nature, and spirituality. For instance, they are used to represent the Dreamtime, creation stories, mythology, ancestral journeys, sacred landscapes, and the connections between the physical and spiritual realms. A single dot can convey a breadth of meanings, such as a breath, a cosmos, a shamanic journey to star beings, or a map to other dimensions and other worlds. Each dot holds a universe of significance, providing a profound connection to both the physical and spiritual realms, which deeply informs my creative process.

I allow my brush to move freely, embracing spontaneity and intuitive creation. These symbols, are woven into the narrative and there is a sense of something profound and elusive, akin to a waking dream.

These initial marks are subsequently layered into collages, embracing deliberate imperfections. The fragility of the paper, with its natural wrinkles and tears, contributes to the organic texture of the work. These imperfect perfections are intentional, mirroring the transient nature of life and the beauty inherent in suddenly finding yourself on the unexpected path, the middle of the unknown and recognising what we have become as a result.

Through this layered approach, I aim to evoke both the unknown and a sense of familiarity, as if these symbols and marks are fragments of a forgotten memory. The viewer is invited to explore these hidden layers, discovering connections that transcend time and space. This process seeks to create a bridge between the seen and unseen, the known and the mysterious, inviting contemplation and a deeper understanding of our place within the vast interconnectedness of all things.

At its core, my work explores the relationship between the tangible and intangible, inviting viewers to reflect on the nature of form and formlessness.