Born and raised in rural Ontario, Joanna was free to explore her family’s farmland without restraint. The youngest of five children, she watched and learned, then took to her imagination to create. Her earliest memory that marked her passion for art making was asking her mom to sketch babies in her drawings.

“Seeing all the parts of a person come together fascinated me. It still does to this day.”

Aplin went on to study fine arts at McMaster University earning her BA in 1998 and a degree in Education in 2000. Since then, she has worked in numerous artistic arenas such as arts education, theatrical productions, and marketing her own art on a variety of social media platforms.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Joanna Aplin’s figurative and abstract paintings are clean and captivating. Her classically trained yet contemporary approach to color, form, and line makes her work aesthetically pleasing to all walks of life. Her compositions carry an intrinsic sense of balance and proportion. Aplin takes her visual cues from the complexities in nature and the human form, then welcomes a reductive process – knowing it will lead to a simpler, more essential presentation of the subject matter. You can expect to find an eclectic mix of color in Joanna Aplin’s artwork. With a comprehensive grasp of color theory and an unwillingness to compromise on materials – her acrylic paintings bring about a rich presence for the viewer to behold.

An up-close inspection of Aplin’s work reveals intentional brushstrokes that can be layered with texture and other times smooth and uncomplicated. She explores the relationship between color and line, the real and the imaginary, in hopes of discovering the beauty in all things. Thematically, she pulls a lot from her everyday spiritual walk which always points to a message of victory and hope.