Joan Porter-Einsman

In graduate school I pursued universal symbols and meanings of crisis-opportunity. I have continued to build on these ideas. Key words describing my art are colorful, soul-searching, then survival, gratitude, individuals, visualized emotions, and symbolic universal metaphors. Each drawing or painting has a story behind it. Life-long learning and academics are of major importance to me. There is a gratifying excitement in creating and transforming paper, canvas, or other surfaces into the only (one-of-kind) work of art. I work in diverse media such as oil, acrylic, watercolor,ink, and mixed media. I paint with both hands as I work. I allow the art to take over. Sometimes my art has been described as Jungian. Karl Jung was a psychologist who believed that the soul was involved in creating. One of my favorite sayings by an unidentified person is as follows: “A craftsman works with his hands. An artisan works with his hands and his heart. An artist works with his hands, and his heart, and his soul.”