Joanne Cellar’s paintings vividly capture the energy dynamics and also the serene moments of family life. She conveys a keen insight into her subject matter through her paint handling. She seduces her viewers with bold choices of color and uses sumptuous applications of paint to create intriguing surface textures. Cellar’s pictures convey beautiful illusions, present yet not completely there. The expressive marks of the palette knife reveal the forms, yet simultaneously conceal them, becoming a visual metaphor for both movement and memory.
As a wife, mother of four, and a Service dog trainer, “busy” is far too conservative to describe her lifestyle.
“I love painting because it gives me the opportunity to escape from all the hectic and messy parts of life. When I paint, everything going on around me loses importance and I become lost in my work. Then when I’m back ‘on duty’ I feel relaxed, refreshed and ready to take on anything. As I begin the creative process, I especially like to use vibrant colors and varying textures to bring emotion to both natural beauty and everyday situations. A great painting is never just about the subject, but more about what that subject whispers to the artist. Its about how I felt when I saw the view that inspired the piece”.
Cellar’s work has received numerous awards and has been exhibited and sold at The Southlight Gallery, Driftwood, The South Gallery at Florida State College, The Cunningham Collection, Edward Waters College and more.
Joanne lives in Atlantic Beach with her husband Bill, their four sons, and three Labrador Retrievers.