Joanna Loftus has been painting and drawing all her life and first began painting and drawing professionally part time 15 years ago, selling to contacts and through word of mouth, resulting in a number of commissions. However for the past 5 years she has been working as a full time artist, exhibiting regularly at art fairs in the UK, and also selling via my online presence and personal referrals.
Having experimented with various different mediums and styles over the years, she now focuses on figurative work. From a young age she perceived there was often a gap between what someone’s body was telling her, and what they were saying. Our bodies express our emotions, sustain and nurture us, and signal our mental and physical boundaries. Body language is a kind of silent orchestra, communicating our inner state to others far more accurately and effectively than our words.
She particularly enjoyed painting her recent Catalyst collection of dancing figures. Dance is a wonderful way to release emotions. These figures have all extraneous aspects of external personality removed, allowing the viewer to immerse themselves in the power and beauty of the body, and its’ ability to radiate joy through dance in a pure and uncomplicated form.
Joanna has spent many hours studying anatomy and ballet for these figures, and used a combination of live models, photographs, live performance, and her own artistic creation. The use of colour is integral to these pieces, each adding a slightly different perceptual overlay to the image.
Joanna believes that the wonderful thing about any form of art is its’ ability to touch our emotions on a deep and private level, creating a unique relationship with each individual. Our response to an artwork belongs entirely and only to us. So really, every piece of art is a never ending story.