Today we’d like to introduce you to Joan Fullerton.
Joan, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was a shy kid growing up in a Wyoming ranching community without exposure to fine art but with an appreciation of the natural world. When it was discovered I could draw, my Mother encouraged me with painting lessons and as a junior in high school, our small school began an art program. What a thrill to study art history and paint! After High School, I became an art major at a liberal arts college in Denver, and after I married I studied art and psychology at Texas A&M while my husband pursued his degree.
I left Wyoming the marriage ended; I returned to the University of Wyoming as a mother of three, to earn a BFA and MFA in painting. Credentials in hand, I was hired at the community college in Cheyenne as a full-time instructor. It was a dream come true developing courses in drawing, watercolor, oil, design, life drawing, general art and printmaking.
I loved teaching but found little time for my own art and during a sabbatical to Italy I decided to leave my teaching position to paint in the art community of Taos, NM. My time in Taos expanded my sense of creative freedom and challenged me to evolve my painting aesthetic from representation toward greater abstraction and more symbolic subject matter.
In 2010, I moved to the Denver Metro Area where I now paint, teach international painting workshops and produce online art experiences. Art has grown me into the person I am today and I am grateful to have this creative outlet to process all that being human evokes.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Layering images and marks freely with abandon, I strive for mystery and intrigue. I want my audience to have an uplifting and imaginative experience as they contemplate my art. I intend the images to be strong enough to pull you across the room to examine them and when up close there will be subtle events to be discovered over time.
Following many years of painting oil and watercolor landscapes on location and from photographs, I now paint intuitively, meaning I don’t know where I am going when I begin. It’s akin to singing a song while it is being written.
Double exposing a roll of film back in the old days was a mis-take that continues to impact my sensibilities. Appreciating the intrigue of juxtaposed images, I strive to have the history of my art process be observable. Mystery and depth are more valuable to me than is a straight forward representation.
Making marks and shapes with multi-media on my painting surface, I energize, activate and personalize the surface without censoring. This process requires noticing visual potential when it shows up. Often what shows up resembles a landscape. Looking into and beneath the layers is delving into meaning and story, emotion and contemplation. I think we seek meaning in the objects we choose to live with and I am happiest when patrons of my art tell me that my paintings have enriched their lives.
In your view, what is the biggest issue artists have to deal with?
Having the confidence to create authentic and innovative art is a constant challenge for artists. Imitating a style for the marketplace or copying our successes rather than evolving what we bring forth, eventually becomes boring and trite.
The creative process requires noticing and trusting new images when they come through. Experimenting with curiosity and without ego can present us with images deserving our attention. We need to trust and have confidence to believe in them.
The evolving artist is required to notice and respect their authenticity. Many times, we don’t understand or appreciate our “never-before-seen” images and we censor the hell out of them. We clean them up to resemble what we have seen before. Trusting, remaining curious, and taking your time to get acquainted with new images is paramount. When we expand our vision, we offer the world permission to see beyond the ordinary.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My website JoanFullerton.com has an evolving portfolio of my paintings. I am represented by Slate Gray Gallery in Kerville, TX and Telluride, CO. I also post on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. People are supportive by purchasing my paintings, commenting on my new art and attending my exhibitions.
Contact Info:
- Website: 4976 Carefree Trail, Parker, CO 80134
- Phone: 575-770-3805
- Email: joan@joanfullerton.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanfullertonart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joan.fullerton
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoanFullerton
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/joanfullerton/boards/
Image Credit:
Blueprint Productions LLC.
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