Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanne Newman.
Joanne, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
As many artists will tell you, the addiction to art can start early in childhood. That was truly the case for me. It’s a hard journey to resist. Draw something an adult can recognize and the accolades get you hooked. Oh, and not to mention all of the colors! Artists can crave those like sweets. “Tripping-out” on an art project is really my happy place.
For me, the obsession continued all through my school years and by the time I graduated from Point Loma High School, I had taken every art class available in the curriculum. I even worked with a counselor to make up some art classes that didn’t exist. (You could do that back then).
Strangely though, by college, my art bubble was popped. My very “practical-minded” parents suddenly told me that I needed to set aside the artistic fantasy and sober up to some serious course of study that would pay the bills in my future. This was rather unsettling since they had previously encouraged my artistic endeavors.
At this point, convinced myself that this was a good thing. Certainly, if I tried to be a working artist I would have been very overwhelmed with the demand to produce. I projected that this pressure would ultimately destroy the joyfulness of artistic expression for me. I would just have to postpone going back to my creative side and my happy place until I retired. With this strategy as my path, I gave up the artist dream fantasy cold turkey (almost).
I found a compromise plan at SDSU where I majored in art with an emphasis on “Environmental Design.” This degree launched me into a 45-year career in commercial interiors as a designer and sales consultant. I could pay my bills and dabble in the creative juices of design projects with my colleagues and clients. Vicarious creativity!
Although my job entailed the creative process I felt like I was always on the sidelines. So,15 years into my career, married with two children and plenty of bills, I decided to enroll in a figure drawing class offered through adult education one night a week just a few miles from my home. This activity rekindled my passion for drawing. Then a few years later, I switched to the “other” night class which was Japanese brush painting. It was a surprise to me how much I enjoyed this painting class. I felt my happy place coming back. Around 2005 I stumbled into the studio of Olya Losina quite by chance. Her experienced and sage tutelage for a few years solidified my desire to paint.
I have been learning and exploring the craft of acrylic painting and watercolor in little snippets as I could fit it into my busy schedule. In 2007 I joined the San Diego Watercolor Society and began taking a few workshops and entering shows. To my delight, I was getting paintings accepted for shows. In 2013 I was juried into Point Loma Artists Association and Spanish Village for watercolor and acrylic painting.
In 2017, I retired from my “practical” career and am happy to be indulging in painting almost daily! No pressure!
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I really enjoy painting coastal landscapes. Living in the Sunset Cliffs/Point Loma area provides ample inspiration. A few years ago, I began a series of small 8” square acrylic paintings that I called “At the Cliffs.” The idea behind this collection was to capture little scenic gems from the area that my friends and neighbors could relate to and would want to have in their homes. These are visual reminders of a favorite beach, a natural landmark, or a special surf spot.
In addition to this series, I started another one that focuses on images from the bayside of Point Loma where I grew up. Scenes from Kellogg Beach on the La Playa Trail to Shelter Island are featured in this group. This is an ongoing project I call “Along the Bay.” Two paintings from this group are currently on display at the San Diego County Fair.
Last Fall, I started a group of small watercolor paintings I refer to as my “Watercolor Sunsets.” Like many San Diegans, I find sunsets to be the most therapeutic closure to the day. The forms, colors, and moods are so varied and magical. My objective was to create a small, affordable artwork that evokes the calm and splendor that sunsets bring to the soul.
Recently, I am learning the skills required for plein air painting and exploring figure drawing/painting from a model. Abstract painting is also on my radar with a new series based on some black and white photos I recently took for a FB challenge. I am looking forward to new challenges and new creations ahead.
It is my hope that the viewer can feel the joy that I experienced in creating all of my paintings. After all they come from my happy place!
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
It seems like contemporary studio artists today are really challenged to be clever, edgy, and innovative. The art world is always pushing the envelope for new visions, approaches, and technique. Artists are still serving in a role as historians by documenting, reflecting and reacting to our condition in time. Being more of an environmentalist at heart, I hope my art provokes people to be more thoughtful and appreciative towards nature.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
The easiest way to see my portfolio is through my website at www.jrnart.com.
Social media posts:
Facebook.com/jrnart
Instagram @ joanne_newman
I also show my work through the member shows at the SDWS gallery in Liberty Station and at various events with the Point Loma Artists Association. I have been honored to have had paintings in the annual Small Image Show at Gallery 21 in Spanish Village and will have one of my watercolor sunsets hanging in a landscape show at Vivid Space Gallery in Little Italy later this summer.
Contact Info:
- Website: jrnart.com
- Email: jrnart.sd@gmail.com
- Instagram: Joanne_newman
- Facebook: facebook.com/jrnart
Image Credit:
Photo of me taken by Penni Rubin.
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