Yarra Valley based artist Joan Blond portrays her passion for colour and nature in her vibrant impressionist artworks. Largely self-taught Joan embraced her life long love of painting when she moved into working as a full time artist after a long career in the legal industry. The exuberant use of colour in Joan’s work creates a joyous spectacle for the viewer invoking the best of Australia’s abundance of nature.
Enjoy Getting to Know … Joan Blond
When did you first feel the desire to be artistic and realize you had talent?
I have always loved painting and have dabbled for years but did not paint as much when I had 3 young children to raise. However when they grew up & left home I started painting again and people started asking if they could purchase my work. I realised people really did love my work. I painted on the weekends and from Monday – Friday I worked as an executive PA for a partner of a law firm for 21 years, but finally took the leap of faith and left to pursue painting as a full time career.
Where did you learn your art?
My mother was a very talented artist so I have always been surrounded by art, I have had no formal training but have attended quite a few workshops run by various artists and picked up some interesting tips. Basically I’m self taught.
What inspires you most?
I derive my inspiration from the rural surroundings where I live, my connection to the country and positive energy. Also from memory of beautiful landscapes I have seen. I get a lot of feedback from people who say that my paintings evoke happiness and they are uplifting.
What message are you sending to the viewer of your art?
The message I am sending the viewer of my art is one of happiness, a love of life and a love of the beautiful colours we are surrounded by and positive energy.
Describe your studio…
I am based in Yellingo in the Yarra Valley. My studio is not large and I often paint quite large pieces so it can be challenging negotiating moving around the space. I don’t use an easel very often, I usually sit my canvasses on milk bottle crates, I have towels on top & sheets on the floor. I lean the canvasses back against my dining room chairs and my big table. I have 4 different shelves with drawers and I separate all my colours so I can find them easily. Then other drawers with brushes, mediums, glazes & varnishes.
But I love where I live and appreciate the rolling hills and beautiful gum trees which I can view through the floor to ceiling glass windows in my small studio. Eventually I would like to find a larger space to work from.
What message are you sending to the viewer of your art?
The message I am sending the viewer of my art is one of happiness, a love of life and a love of the beautiful colours we are surrounded by and positive energy.
What mediums do you use and why?
I use a medium to make my paints blend better and smoother to paint into the canvass. Sometimes it’s a slow medium if the paint is drying too quickly for instance in hot weather. I also have a gloss medium if I want a glossy effect with my paint. Sometimes once a colour dries I add medium or a glaze & go over that area with another colour for a different effect.
What are you working on now?
I’m just finishing a large commission for a client from one my galleries. I’m doing 4 paintings for a group exhibition and I’m doing 14 paintings for an Art Fair in Hampstead, London.
What are your recent career achievements you feel proud of?
My recent career achievements that I am proud of would be my big solo exhibition I had at the end of November 2019 which was nearly a sell out, and sending 14 paintings to an Art Fair in Battersea, London and being asked to paint works for the Art Fair in Hampstead, London my first time doing international Art Fairs.
What do you love most about what you do?
The thing I love best about what I am doing is being able to create beautiful art for people. I love the fact that you can never stop learning in your art practice and it’s an ever evolving skill. It’s fantastic to earn money doing what I absolutely love – so it doesn’t actually feel like work at all.
Where can you see yourself in 10 years time?
In 10 years time I sincerely hope I am doing the same thing. I wouldn’t want it an other way. Painting and creating and loving life.
Joan Blond Artworks – All Sold
Joan Blond – CV Artist Biography
Joan Blond Artist
Joan Blond’s vibrant and energetic paintings are a portrayal of her appreciation of the natural surroundings where she lives and of the places she travels to. Her love of contemporary interior design is evident in her expressionistic paintings that sit comfortably in modern settings. Joan Blond is based in the Yarra Valley in Victoria and is enjoying a career as a full time artist which has been fast tracked by steady sales, a long list of mixed and solo exhibitions and wide recognition in recent years.
Artist Statement
Joan is an abstract expressionist and contemporary artist based in the Yarra Valley, Victoria. After working in the legal profession for 25 years Joan Blond returned to her first love of painting and is mostly self taught. Her creative side was nurtured by her Mother who also shared her love of drawing & painting. Joan loves painting generous blocks of colour and her style is vibrantly expressionistic, often incorporating energetic line work. She is creatively motivated by her surroundings and also takes many cues from contemporary design and her love of interior design. Joan works successfully with homeowners and designers who are looking for paintings with a custom colour scheme.
Joan mostly paints using acrylics with substance which add texture to her work, and also loves experimenting with different mediums & washes.Joan Blond has had numerous group and solo exhibitions and her paintings are held by private collectors throughout Australia, New Zealand, USA, Germany and Hong Kong. Her work has also been featured in popular magazines such as Home Beautiful and House & Garden. In 2018 she was featured in the TV series The Block.
Exhibitions
- 2019 Solo Exhibition – Gullotti Galleries, Perth, WA, 7-28 November
- 2019 Solo Exhibition – Art2Muse Gallery, Double Bay, NSW, 8 -21 January
- 2019 Group Exhibition – Sydney Road Gallery, Seaforth, NSW 2nd February
- 2019 Solo Exhibition – Mynd Interiors – Frankston, Vic, 7th April
- 2019 Solo Exhibition – The Peisley Street Gallery, Orange, NSW 18th April
- 2018 Group Exhibition – Guggenart Gallery, Malvern, October
- 2018 Group Exhibition – The Arthouse Company Marrickville, Sydney, 20th September
- 2018 Group Exhibition – Art to Art gallery, Bulleen, 23rd August
- 2018 Exhibition in partnership with Jesse Rigby – On-Line Exhibition “Light & Dark”, 3/8/2018 – 19/8/2018
- 2018 Group Exhibition – Art to Art Gallery, Bulleen – Pop Up Exhibition & 10 New Artists, 24th May
- 2018 Group Exhibition – Guggenart, Malvern – “Local”, 5th April
- 2018 Group Exhibition – Art to Art Gallery, Bulleen – Pop Up Exhibition, April
- 2017 Group Exhibition – Art to Art Gallery, Bulleen – Pop Up Exhibition, October
- 2017 Group Exhiibition – Art to Art Gallery, Bulleen – Pop Up Exhibition “All New Artworks”, August
- 2017 Group Exhibition – Art to Art Gallery, Bulleen – “Large Artworks for Living Spaces”, July
- 2016 Solo Exhibition – Linden Gate Gallery, Yarra Glen, May
- 2016 Solo Exhibition – Linden Gate Gallery, Yarra Glen, May
- 2014 Solo Exhibition – Linden Gate Gallery, Yarra Glen, February