Joann Douk

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 I was born and raised in Livermore and I am a self-taught artist. While in school my art teachers in grade school recognized I had some talent.  At the age of 12, I became intrigued by the renaissance inventor and artist Leonardo da Vinci and found myself spending endless hours perusing his illustrations. I’d heard of Rembrandt, Picasso, Renoir and Monet, but I never attended an art museum until I was over 40 years old.

The past 30 years have been spent living in southern California.  My adventures and travels have taken me from Seattle to Newport Beach, Paris and Amsterdam, Florence and Tel-Aviv, and many places in-between. After moving to Ojai in 2017 and living there for 5 years, I was exposed to incredible artists and sought out private lessons.  That is where I learned charcoal portraiture and was introduced to pastel painting.  My mediums of choice are acrylics and mixed media, charcoal, pencil most recently pastels.  

Most of my paintings are inspired by moments seen through my camera lens.  Whether seascapes or landscapes, those paintings are my interpretation of the emotions experienced at that time.  When I begin a painting there is an inexplainable feeling of joy that crescendos until it is finished.  Listening to music is always a part of the process and I find that the early morning light is my most favorite time. 

Now that I’ve returned to Livermore with an inspiring view of our beautiful vineyards and rolling foothills, my hope is to continue my journey with the Livermore Art Association and to share my “art from the heart” with our community.

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