I have been painting in oils for over 40 years and this creative activity has provided me with an incredibly enjoyable pastime, a direction, a profession, an income, and, very likely, a retreat.  Looking back on those years, it has also inadvertently been a documentation of my life, cataloging places I have lived and visited, memorializing pets, following my children from childhood to adulthood, and doing the same for my grandchildren.  In the competitive world of the 21st century, we often forget that the arts are a form of human expression meant to convey and share the diverse qualities of life.

An art dealer, who once represented my work and whom I respected, told me that I had the ability to "emote through my paintings".  Possibly this innate ability to accurately depict imagery through oil paints has permitted me to suppress the physical process of painting and allow feelings and emotions to come to the fore in my work.  And, perhaps that, combined with a love for what I am doing, is a necessary component for "emoting through my paintings".  

Joann Rea