Joni Pakes

The journey for emerging artist, Joni Pakes, started in the fifth grade with the showing of a mixed media piece, a crayon-resist watercolor, at the local Bank of America. She learned to experiment with various mediums, utilizing her father's vast garage storehouse of supplies. His skill as a woodworking craftsman and studio prop master influenced his daughter to integrate fine art with ordinary materials. She obtained a B.F.A. and secondary teaching credential in Art at CSUN studying with noted artists, Karen Carson and Bruce Everett. Joni lives in scenic Newport Beach, California which inspires her everyday by its nature-infused landscape. Careers have come and gone for her, but the love for art, her work, has always been a constant.

"The preparation of my art work is as essential as the act of painting the piece. I construct shapes and texture almost like a bas relief from ancient civilizations; fossilized relics encased in boxes; collections; juxtaposing hard-edge geometric structures against free-flowing organic forms. Sometimes my pieces are like an etching plate that I can rub ink on and print from. I build up and then sand off, build up again and sand off even more, eroding, unearthing, discovering interesting surfaces. My work can be linear, graphite detailing the piece, integrating layers, defining. Metallic tone on tone and earth hues are prominent. Nature-inspired imagery is consistent, using the tree as a symbol of the essence of Life."