JOAN WALSH ARTIST’S STATEMENT ” For as long as I can remember I have always loved to draw and paint. On rainy days (of which we have many in the land of my birth, Ireland) I would spend hours and hours transferring the images which danced through my mind onto paper by means of a pencil or paintbrush. As I grew, the scenes I depicted were not just from my imagination but were from life. Art has become a visual diary of my journey, from childhood to the present day, in all its forms- real, imagined, spiritual and dreamt.” Joan Walsh was born in Ireland where she attended the National College of Art and Design (N.C.A.D.) Dublin from 1981 to 1985; she graduated with honors in Glass Design. She has been painting since childhood and received several honorable mentions in the Children’s Texaco All-Ireland Art Competition. She became a member of the City of Dublin Vocational Educational Committee Deputy Reserve Teachers in 1987. Her work was exhibited in the Peoples Art Exhibition in Dublin, Ireland from 1986 to 1988. She also participated in group shows in the Bank of Ireland Exhibition Center in Dublin before moving to Martha’s Vineyard in 1989.
Since moving to Martha’s Vineyard she has been a member of the Vineyard Artisans Festivals from its foundation in 1995. Joan has illustrated several childrens books: ‘The Secret’ by Merrily Fenner, ‘Little Streakwing’s Vineyard Adventure’ by Don Davis and ‘Lobstering With My Papa’ by Billie Hancock, to name a few. In 1999 The Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust commissioned her to paint the original painting for the print of the Flying Horses Carousel in Oak Bluffs. Visit her website www.joanwalsh.com to find out more about Joan and her work. On Etsy she has a shop JoanWIrishArtist and on Instagram she can be found as JoanWalshIrishArtist. In the fall of 2015 she was delighted to have had a one-person show at MV Playhouse.
