Joanne Klein

I am a local landscape artist working primarily in pastels. Most of my work is done plein air, fed by the colors, sounds, fragrance and beauty of the natural world. Painting outdoors is my passion, my meditation, and helps me stand firmly on the earth.

Sonoma County has been my home for 48 years, where I’ve been blessed with its stunning beauty. I pursued a degree in Environmental Studies at Sonoma State University and for years worked in environmental restoration in the Geysers area west of Healdsburg and in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Hiking, camping and backpacking—anything that gets me into the wilderness—are my preferred activities.

Graphic design became my career while raising my two wonderful sons. My experience as a graphic designer sharpened my sense of shape and form and strengthened my artistic eye.

I have worked in different mediums such as watercolor, oils, figure drawing, photography and polaroid transfers. I also studied biological illustration with Chuck Stasek. While at Sonoma State I studied watercolor with West County artist Gerald Bol. I began developing a love for pastels in a workshop with Moira Donohoe in Yosemite Valley and later with Richard McDaniels and Clark Mitchell in Sonoma County. 

I have exhibited paintings with the Laguna Painters in 2001 and 2002 and at the Symphony of Food, Wine and Art in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and as a guest artist at Graton Gallery. My prints and cards are available at Hand Goods in Occidental, Sebastopol Cookie Company, The Petrified Forest, as well as through my website: joannekleinart.com.

I cherish the days in nature—the sun, the wind, the vibrancy and aliveness of the countryside—and though I work more often in the studio now, I feel best with my painting and palette at hand, my mind lost in the beauty surrounding me.   

joklein@sonic.net
joannekleinart.com