Ciolfi, Joanie

“Moving between traditional, transitional and contemporary design motifs taught me how to use my personal aesthetic voice to speak different languages.”

A Berkshire County native, painter and artist Joan Palano Ciolfi draws inspiration for her work from everyday objects and abstract forms in nature that combine luminosity, transparency and expressive movement. Joanie has developed a unique style that incorporates both structured elements and abstract freedom. Through the use of oil sticks, oil paints and brushes she creates paintings with a common thread that convey her passion for color and texture.

Joanie studied fine art and graphic design and received a BFA in Visual Design from Southeastern Massachusetts University. “Moving between traditional, transitional and contemporary design motifs taught me how to use my personal esthetic voice to speak different languages”. Her oil paintings continue this dialogue with a wide range of subject matter and style.

Her paintings are often underpinned with literal and symbolic words on the canvas that she considers an expression of her thoughts, prayers and wishes. A keen observer of life through the lens of emotional intelligence, she hopes viewers of her art will “see, hear, feel and taste” her inspirations, drawn from her everyday life and relationships.

In 2015 her abstract work was featured in a solo exhibit in the Berkshire Now Gallery at the Berkshire Museum. Joanie has enjoyed solo exhibits in Cambridge, MA, throughout Berkshire County and the northeast.

Exhibited in Good Purpose Gallery June 24, 2016 – August 8, 2016.