Artist Biography

Joanna Lee Miller is a classically trained Cape Town-based South African artist passionate about painting en plein air (in the open air). Growing up surrounded by majestic scenery, Joanna has always felt a strong connection to her environment. Her expressive landscape paintings explore how our connection with nature can help us connect with a deeper understanding of ourselves.

Joanna specialises in painting the ocean, beaches, mountains, natural Fynbos and the vineyards of the Cape, and also thrives when painting en plein air while traveling within South Africa and abroad.

Joanna broke from an eleven-year international corporate career to train as a professional artist at The Florence Academy of Art in Italy (2017-2020). Joanna’s technical training follows the traditional academic methods of the 19th Century European Ateliers, enabling her to heighten her contemporary oil paintings with a stroke of classical realism.

Joanna exhibits with State of the Art Gallery, RK Contemporary, Spier Arts Trust and Art.b Gallery, among other South African galleries. Joanna is a founding member of Salon 104, an artist collective based in Cape Town that exhibits together regularly and meets monthly to discuss, share and support one another in the development of their professional artistic careers. Salon 104 also supports the Imbali Visual Literacy Project. Joanna’s studio is with SideTrack Studios, based in Salt River, Cape Town, and Joanna exhibits with her studio regularly.

Artist Statement

I paint landscapes to hold onto a moment in time, to feel present, to celebrate being alive, and to connect each of us to what is deep within us. I paint en plein air (in the open air, outdoors) and from life. My style is expressive, bold and quick – often because this is exactly what is required to capture the fast-changing light and quickly moving clouds. I am captivated by my natural environment and the endless challenge to render in paint the beauty I see around me. I apply my academic training to bring realism to my paintings, yet I leave plenty of space for bright, unexpected colours, and stylised shapes to bring out the essence of my subject.

Art for me is like a mirror to existence. Art causes me to feel, validates and contains my feelings, gives me a sense of belonging in this world, and helps me understand my place. I aim for my art to bring this sense of presence and connection to others, as we share in our human experience.

I grew up surrounded by prints of the Impressionists and post-Impressionists – Monet, Manet, Seurat, Van Gogh, Gaugin, Renoir… The desire and joy of capturing light outdoors was deeply ingrained in me. I now look primarily to John Singer Sargent and Joaquín Sorolla. I am inspired by their understanding of how light and colour are inextricably linked, and by the variety and complexity in their colours, brush marks and subject matter.

During my three years in Italy at the Florence Academy of Art, I attended multiple landscape painting workshops in the Chianti countryside. Here I learned what makes landscape painting unique. Perhaps most importantly, I discovered that my love of nature and the outdoors and my passion for painting were perfectly matched.

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Artist CV

Joanna paints landscapes en plein air in South Africa and abroad, and exhibits regularly in South Africa and internationally in galleries and with her two artist collectives - Salon 104 of which she is a founding member, and her studio SideTrack Studios. Joanna trained professionally in the classical realism style at The Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy (2017-2020). Joanna has attended oil painting and drawing classes and workshops locally and internationally, including New York, London, Spain and Singapore. In addition to painting, Joanna teaches workshops and provides one-on-one and small group art mentoring and tuition.

Exhibitions

Teaching

  • Upcoming: Landscape Painting Plein Air Painting Three-Day Workshop (August 2025)

  • St Cyprians High School (Grades 10 and 11) – Colour Theory and Texture (January 2025)

  • Landscape Painting En Plein Air Workshop Series with Inge Semple (four one-day workshops, 2023)

  • One-on-one and small group tuition (2022 ongoing)

Experience and education

Artistic training

Florence, Italy (2017-2020)

  • Florence Academy of Art Drawing and Painting three-year Certificate Program – April 2017 to March 2020

Masters Classes, Art Events & Residencies

Spain (2025)

  • From Sea Sierra Landscape Painting Workshop with Marc Dalessio - May 2025

Ireland (2025)

South Africa (2020-present)

  • Bartholomeus Klip Artist Retreat (August 2025)

  • Aswater Artist Residency in the Klein Karoo with Salon 104 (July 2024)

  • Plein Air Landscape Artist Retreat in Prince Albert with Erika van Zyl (August-September 2021)

  • Mentorship from Marc Dalessio (2024 ongoing) and Ben Fenske (2020-2021)

Florence, Italy (2017-2019)

  • Landscape Painting Workshops with Daniela Astone – April 2017, April 2018, April 2019, May 2019

  • Painting the Figure in the Landscape with Ben Fenske and Daniela Astone – June 2018

  • Sculpting the Figure for Painters with Mitch Shea (Director of Sculpting Program at Florence Academy of Art) – October 2018-March 2019

Singapore (2015-2017)

  • My Art Space (drawing classes)

  • The Federation of the Arts Singapore (live figure drawing)

  • Classical Realism art classes with Clayton Hudnall

London, United Kingdom (2013-2014)

  • Lavender Hill Studios (now called London Fine Art Studios): Foundations Course, Evening Course - Figure/Portrait (charcoal and oil)

New York City, United States (2010-2012)

  • New York Academy of Art, evening classes: Painting the Figure in Oil with James Hoston, live model figure drawing with Hal Edward Brooks.

  • Spring Street Drawing Studios weekend classes