Self portraits

Joanne seeks to identify the strength of the human mind and investigate a range of emotions through her work. She aims to have viewers connect with her work, by focusing on the human face, and conveying expression in the eyes. She hopes to raise awareness of the struggles and strengths of people dealing with mental illness and depression.

She has described her artwork as reflecting her journey from darkness to light, from the pain of mental illness to discovering that art could help her ‘find her voice’. She found she could open up about her challenges when she started studying art. She said she found it empowering. I was a shut-away, shy, and troubled person, but I found, through art, who I was and what I wanted.

She's passionate about sharing her story and about learning to celebrate and live with the light and dark.