Florida Artists Group

Joanna Bio

Joanna is a practicing artist and instructor with a strong educational background.  Her scholastic achievements include an Associate in Arts degree from Harvard, Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art, Bachelor of Science in Art Education, both from the University of South Florida at Tampa, and Master of Fine Arts from Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge.

Following her formal education she studied art and painting abroad in Paris in 2000, and in Venice, Rome and Florence, Italy in 2004.  In 2009, Joanna was invited to participate in a joint Russian-American program that emphasized art and educational exchanges in Velikiy Novgorod, Russia, where she both exhibited and taught art.  In 2012, she also coordinated art workshops in Santa Fe, NM and St. Augustine, FL.  And this year 2015, Joanna is conducting a week-long journaling workshop in Tuscany, Italy.

Her present art related activities include:  a group exhibit at Onishi Gallery in the Chelsea district of New York City, a group exhibit at Vierraumladen Gallery in Berlin, Germany and exhibitions at the Ameriprise offices in Sarasota.  She also participates in many juried exhibitions at local and national levels.

Joanna creates her art and conducts private instruction in her studio, the Art Garden Studio. She teaches at Manatee, Sarasota and Venice Art Centers.

For a current listing of Joanna’s classes and workshops visit her website.                                  

Artist Statement:

Joanna combines brilliant colors and strong textures, rendered with layers of mixed media in the 2 subjects that she is currently pursuing; contemporary floral designs and abstract realism.   In her floral paintings, she approaches each flower as a unique portrait. Starting with thin, watercolor washes that produce soft, transparent backgrounds, she then applies thick acrylic paints and delicate flowers in gold acrylic inks and/or colored pencils.  In her abstract realism artworks, Joanna's approach is to create a feeling of deep inner space for the viewer to experience a psychological moment. She starts by using highly textured surfaces then adds acrylics and additives such as pumice, granular beads and crackle infused with more colors. The results from each approach are to create a dream-state atmosphere with touches of realism.  

 

Gallery Representation
On-Line Gallery - www.saatchiart.com/joannacoke
Ameriprise Financial, 5551 Marquesas Circle, Sarasota, FL

Artist-in-Residency

Blue Ridge Cabins -  August 2011,  Blue Ridge, NC
Rock Raymond Farm - May 2008,  Downingtown, PA
Rayners - June 2007,  Sedona, AZ
Salamander Ridge - August 2006,  Green Mountain, NC

Invitational Shows:

“The Artist is the Greatest Healer,” 2014, curated by Stefania Carrozzini
Exhibited at Vierraumladen Gallery, Berlin, Germany           
Fine Arts Society Studio Tours - 2013, Ringling School Art & Design, Sarasota, FL
“you must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star,”  2012, curated by Stefania Carrozzini
Exhibited at Onishi Gallery, Chelsea, NY           
East Meets West - 2012,  Venice Art Center, Venice, FL
West Meets East - 2009,  Novgorod State University Museum, Velikiy Novgorod, Russia
pARTners - 2007,  Art Center Sarasota, Sarasota, FL
Paint-Out in Paradise II - 2007,  Venice Art Center, Venice, FL

One-Person Shows:

Color & Texture, Sunflowers & Abstracts – 2014, Women’s Resource Center, Sarasota, FL
On Location -  2013,  Unity Gallery,  Sarasota, FL
Shelters & Landscapes -  2013, Ameriprise Financial, Sarasota, FL
Shelters - 2009,  Harmony Gallery, Friedman Symphony Center, Sarasota, FL
Shack-in UP - 2009,  Dancing Crane Gallery, Bradenton, FL
Fantascapes - 2008,  ComCenter Gallery,  Lakewood Ranch, FL
Surroundings - 2007, Glen Gallery, Longboat Key Art Center, Longboat Key, FL
Road Trips - 2007, Unitarian Universalist Art Gallery, Sarasota, FL
Venus Luncheon - 2006, Maria Saraceno Gallery, St. Petersburg Beach, FL
Persona - 2005, MFA Thesis Show, LSU School of Art Gallery, Foster Hall, Baton Rouge, LA
In One’s Glory - 2001, Center Gallery, Tampa, FL
           
Juried Shows:

Florida Watercolor Society Online - 2014
International Society of Experimental Artists - 2014, NWS Art Gallery, San Pedro, CA
Florida Artist Group (FLAG) 64th Annual Symposium - 2014, St. Augustine Art Association, FL
International Society of Experimental Artists, ISEA - 2013, Big Arts, Sanibel, FL
ISEA/National Watercolor Soc. Wales Exchange Exhibit - 2013, Traveling Exhibit, Wales, UK
FLAG, Area 7 Exhibition - 2013, Alliance for the Arts, Ft. Myers, FL
FLAG, Area 6 Exhibition - 2013, The Beach Arts, Indian Rocks, Clearwater, FL
Florida HiWay Women Exhibition - 2013, Florida Maritime Museum, Cortez, FL
15th Inter’l Exhibition - 2012,  Southeastern Pastel Soc., Oglethorpe Univ. Mus. of Art, Atlanta, GA
5th Annual Juried Exhibit - 2012,  The Windsors, Lakewood Ranch, FL
          (1st Place Award, Juror - Patricia Dabberrt of Dabbert Gallery)
8th Biennial National Art Exhibit - 2012, Visual Art Center, Punta Gorda, FL
          (Award of Excellence, Juror - Dean Mitchell)
Florida Watercolor Society On-line - 2012,www.floridawatercolorsociety.org/online-show.php
Museum of Botany & the Arts - 2010, Selby Gardens - WCA, Sarasota, FL
4th Annual Juried Exhibit - 2011,  The Windsor, Lakewood Ranch, FL
National Juried XTO Nude Image Awards - 2009, Hollywood, CA
(2nd Place Fine Arts Illustration Award,  jurors: Robert Berman - B1 Gallery, Los Angeles, 
Drome Magazine, Italy, Jugular, NYC, and Max Magazine, Italy) 
4th Annual National Juried Show, Katharine Butler Gallery, Sarasota, FL (Juror, Roy Slade)
Women Contemporary Artists - 2007, Art Center Manatee, Bradenton, FL,             (People’s Choice Award)
Portrait and Figure - 2007, Art Center Venice, FL,             (Best of Show)
A Family is...- 2006, Northwest Cultural Council, Barrington, IL
Dia de la Morte - 2006, Art Center Sarasota, FL
Women Contemporary Artists - 2006, Selby Gallery, Ringling School of Art & Design, Sarasota, FL
Art of Travel - 2006, Art Center Longboat Key, FL
I Love Me, I Love You Not - 2006, White Dog Design, Sarasota, FL
Portrait and Figure - 2006, Art Center Venice, FL
15th Annual Town of Longboat Key - 2006, Art Center Longboat Key, FL
Small Treasures - 2005, Art Center of Sarasota, FL 
Art and Money - 2005, Shaw Center Art Gallery, Baton Rouge, LA,  (Best of Show)
Venus Envy - 2005, Oculus Gallery, Baton Rouge, LA           
22nd Annual NSA National Show - 2004, National Society of Artists, Santa Fe, TX
10th Annual Gulf Coast National Art Competition - 2004, Texas Art Museum, Port Arthur, TX
Color II International Exhibition - 2004, Period Gallery, Lincoln, NE  (Special Recognition)
38th Annual Mother Lode National Art Exhibit - 2004, Placerville Arts Association, Placerville, CA
            (Award of Excellence)
34th Annual River Road Show - 2003, Louisiana State Archives, Baton Rouge, LA 
            (Honorable Mention)
Drawing V International Exhibition - 2003, Period Gallery, Lincoln, NE 
            (Honorable Mention)
Louisiana Art &: Artists' Guild - 2003, National Archive Building, Baton Rouge, LA 
           (Honorable Mention)
Current Works - 2003, Gallery Enormous, St. Petersburg, FL
Las Damas d' Arte - 2002, Scarfone/Hartley Galleries, University of Tampa, Tampa, FL
            (Scholarship Award of Excellence)
Figurative Explorations - 2002, Gallery Enormous, St. Petersburg, FL

 

Education 

Master of Fine Arts - Painting,   2005
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
     
Art Education, B.S.,   2002
Art Studio - Painting, B.A.,    2002
Sun Coast Teachers’ Training (SCATT) Honors Program,   2002
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

Associates in Arts,  1985
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Certification:
Florida Teacher Certification, K-12,  2002

Senior Certificate in Fashion Design,  1992
School of Fashion Design, Boston, MA

Memberships
   
Florida Artists Group – 2012, Invitational Membership only
Florida Watercolor Society – 2012
National Collage Society – 2011 to present
Philadelphia Watercolor Society – 2012
Southeastern Pastel Society – 2012
National Watercolor Society – 2013 to present
International Society of Experimental Artists – 2012 to present

Teaching, Guest Speaker, Lectures

Guest Speaker             Florida Watercolor Society Convention, Thin to Thick Demo, 2013
Guest Speaker             Lectures: Modern Art and Its Connection with Its Times
                                       Contemporary Art and Its Connection with Its Times Shell Point, Ft. Myers, FL   2011
Guest Speaker             and Juror for annual meeting of the Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society
                                       Bradenton, FL,  2011
Guest Speaker             Mixed Media and its History,  Venice Art Center, Venice, FL, 2010
Instructor                     Mixed Media Workshop, Novgorod State University,
                                       Velikiy Novgorod, Russia, 2009
Instructor                     Drawing, Acrylics, Pastels and Color Theory, Art Center Manatee, Bradenton, FL,
                                        2006-present
Instructor                    Drawing and Mixed Media, Venice Art Center, Venice, FL,  2009-present
Instructor                    Pastels and Composition, Art Center Sarasota, Sarasota, FL,  2008-09, 2012
Instructor                    Figure Drawing I, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA,  2005           
Instructor                    Figure Drawing Workshops, Associated Women of the Arts,
                                       Baton Rouge, LA,  2004-2009
Private                          Drawing II and Art History-Museums, Teaching Assistant in Baton Rouge, LA for 
Instructor                    Arthur Skinner, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL,  2003-04
Substitute                   Figure Drawing II and III, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA,  2002-05
Guest Speaker            Pastels and Marketing, Associated Women of the Arts, Baton Rouge, LA,  2004-05
                                      Advance Figure Drawing , Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA,  2003-05
                                      Visiting Artist for Art Appreciation, University of Tampa, Tampa, FL,  2001
Internships                Elementary Teacher, Ruskin Elementary School, Ruskin, FL,  2002
                                      Middle School Teacher, Rodgers Middle School, Riverview, FL,  2002
Instructor                   6-Month Modeling Course, Barbizon School of Modeling, Boston, MA,  1994-1995
                                     Certified Boston Teacher with Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Instructor                   Fashion Illustration, School of Fashion Design, Boston, MA, 1993
Instructor                   Introduction to Graphic Design and Introduction to Typography
                                      Rivier College, Nashua, NH,  1984-1985

Workshops Instructor:
 
Where’s Your Focal Point? 2-day.  All media
Rescue Your Art, 2 or 3-day.  All media
Abstract Compositions and Color, 3-days.  All media
Watermedia, 2-day.  Layering watercolor pencils and watercolors to acrylics
Portraiture, 3-day.  Acrylics, oils and pastels
Color Theory, 3-days.  All media
Subset of color:  Neutrals, Whites, Blacks – each separate workshops
Landscape 2-Step (Cape Cod School of Art Technique), 2 or 3-day.  All media
Learn to Love Green, 2-day.  Watercolor & acrylics (DVD available)
Powder Graphite, 1 or 2-day.  Pencil to charcoal. (DVD available)