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Joan
Uptain Watkins was influenced greatly by her parents. Her mother was an
accomplished seamstress and a resourceful mother of five. Her father was an
expert word-worker, builder and writer. Although formal art education was not
part of her early years, creativity and resourcefulness were a way of life in
her country home in Walker County, Alabama.
Already a seamstress and generally artistic person, Joan
discovered her true artistic vein when she began assisting a Ukrainian textile
and watercolor artist during her son’s art class in 2004. Maria Antinov’s encouragement
took her interest of art into an exploration of mediums until the butterfly
landed in her own home art studio where she creates and teaches a handful of
students. Her hobby of photography
supports her art as she often uses her own photographs as a starting point for
her paintings.
“I was always considered a butterfly by
my parents, teachers and employers. My attention span was short and I flitted
from one interest to the next, getting bored easily until finding another
exciting project to rekindle my enthusiasm and passion for life. I enjoy seeking
beauty in people and nature. I crave the warmth and inspiration that I glean
from the world around me. I feel deeply, both positive and negative emotions.
My expression with paint, pen or textiles is worship and thanksgiving to God
for this enchanted life He has given me. There is no greater peace than
when my hands are dirty with paint, or soil, or ingredients. I love creating,
whether in the kitchen, at the sewing machine or at the canvas. I dream in
vivid color of projects and scenes that I must sketch with pencil, brush or
words. I must create and believe I was created to do so.”
Joan lives in Hoover,
Alabama
with her husband, two children and two cats. She is an avid collector of books,
art and ideas as well as a preserver of family history through journalism, preserving and cataloging family photographs. She also enjoys volleyball, baseball and hockey...in that order. Football - not so much.
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