Joanna is based in Cape Town, South Africa. She travels around the Cape Peninsula creating paintings that capture the fleeting effects of light and the seasons on the dramatic landscape. When in her studio, she explores the human landscape in the beauty and complexity of the portraits she paints.
Recent Group Exhibition - Pleased to Meet You, Mr. Laubscher
From 23-27 November, I participated in a unique group art exhibition, paying tribute to late South African artist Erik Laubscher on the 10 year-anniversary of his passing.
The exhibition - presented in Salon-fashion - also celebrated the joint journey of the 11 participating artists and founding members of Cape Town-based 'Salon 104'. Over the past year, me and my ‘friends in art’ have been gathering regularly, supporting each other in our passion for making art and in our pursuit of our professional artistic careers.
The available artworks I exhibited for the show can be purchased through my website.
Debut Solo Exhibition
My debut solo exhibition was recently held at State of the Art Gallery.
All of my paintings for the show were painted en plein air in and around Cape Town. You will see mountains, beaches, rocks and sea, in my favourite locations - Silvermine Nature Reserve, Bakoven Beach, Cape Point, Chapman's Peak, Saunder's Rock in Sea Point, Lion's Head and Devil's Peak.
The title of the show - "Here I Find" - explores the power of being surrounded by natural beauty. When I create my landscape paintings, I am experiencing the deep, powerful, sensation of being in the presence of Beauty. When I am in nature, focused completely on embracing and capturing the beauty I am experiencing, I feel a deep connection - to my environment, to myself and to the world. I feel centred, calm, grounded. I hope that when viewing my paintings, you too are transported to this special, private - yet universal - place, where you find a deep sense of meaning and connection.
The remaining paintings from the show are available for purchase online through State of the Art Gallery.
The show included an interactive map, where you can see all of the locations where I painted, and you can click on the exact coordinates to find you way directly to this same spot!
The sounds I hear while painting
Painting at Slivermine Nature Reserve. Photo credit Andrea Stallbom.
My close friend Talya Chalef, an interdisciplinary theatre-maker and creative producer, designed beautiful, ethereal soundscapes unique to each place I painted. Each soundscape includes actual audio that I recorded while out painting - you’ll hear beautiful birdsong, the ocean, children laughing, my footsteps as I search for a spot to paint, and the wind! Click on the audio below for the specific sounds at each location and hopefully you can loose yourself in the sounds as you view my paintings in the show.
My latest print is now available - Silvermine Fynbos. I have created a limited edition series of 10 prints, slightly larger than the original painting (70cm x 46cm). The prints are on Fibre Matte 200 gsm archival quality paper.
Naartjies, Limited Edition Print of 25
Lion’s Head Morning Light, Limited Edition Print of 25
Swartberg Pass, Limited Edition Print of 5
Landscape Painting
Joanna paints ‘en plein air’ on location, from the pristine beaches and rugged mountainsides of Cape Town to hilltops and jetties around the world.
Classical Art Training
Following three years of classical training at The Florence Academy of Art in Italy, Joanna has learnt the traditional academic methods of the 19th Century European Ateliers enabling her to heighten her contemporary paintings with a stroke of classical realism.
100 USD | 90 EUR
Oil on canvas, 15 x 25 x 4cm, October 2023.