Joann M. Douk

My Story

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area I grew up in a small town called Livermore and began sketching cartoon caricatures to amuse my family and friends.  My parents would submit my drawings to art contests found in the local newspaper, but in those days there were no art academies accepting an 8 year old with visible talent.  My art teachers in school continued to expose me to different art mediums and I became curious about one painter in particular: Leonardo Divinci. I spent hours at the school library perusing volumes of his works. The mysterious Mona Lisa has always been one of my favorites. 

My love for photography grew throughout the years and most of my paintings are inspired by moments seen through the camera lens, thanks to my father. He was always memorializing our yearly vacations as our family visited National Parks of the West.  Because of him, I'm grateful for my continued wonder lust for travel and exposure to the beauty of our natural surroundings. 

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My adventures and travels have taken me from California to Florida, Paris and Amsterdam, Florence and Tel-Aviv and many places in-between. But my favorite place to be is any beach on any island or continent at sunrise or sunset.  The colors are always moving and the feeling of peace always lingers.

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Now I live in the Ojai valley and have time to pursue my passion for painting.  I hope that you enjoy my journey as I continue to capture those peaceful moments with my original creations of "art from the heart."

My Art Gallery

Peaceful moments captured on canvas

My inspiration for each painting begins with an amazing photographic moment.  The colors I use for each painting is sometimes identical to what our eyes see ... but I know my personal interpretation of the image is complete when I can step back and feel a part of me has been blended into each of the final brush strokes on canvas.  That feeling truly makes my heart sing.

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"Painting completed my life."

~ Frida Kahlo ~

2019 - 2020

2019-2020

What's New

My last day of work was July 7, 2019 and I began painting for myself.  The mental transformation wasn't difficult because my 2019 New Year's resolution was to begin painting by the year's end.  Now I wake up to the sound of the songbirds outside my kitchen window and fall asleep at night dreaming of "what's next."  I love it!