Joan Christopher-Quillen is an award-winning pastel artist whose subject matter ranges from landscapes and figures to structures and still lifes. A native Atlantan, she studied art in college, first at Wesleyan College and then at Auburn University. Soon after, however, she put art aside and focused on raising her children and managing a career in advertising and public relations. Decades later, after retiring from the business world in Atlanta, Joan resurrected her earlier passion for art and began painting seriously in 2004. Joan’s work reflects a painterly style, vivid color, and, often, a sharp contrast between light and shadow.

“For me,” she says, “the pastel medium is the most exciting, the most vibrant because of the brilliant colors. Whether I’m painting scenes photographed while wandering backstage at a ballet performance or while touring historic cities in the US and abroad, I find that pastels are most effective in capturing the bold colors and strong contrasts I like to portray in my paintings.”

In April 2008, Joan’s work was featured in a three-woman exhibit, “Adventure in Color and Line,” at the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association in Blue Ridge, Georgia. She is represented in Blue Ridge by Turning Leaf Wood Art Gallery.

Joan is a Juried Member of the Southeastern Pastel Society, a Merit Member of the Atlanta Artists Center, a member of Southern Appalachian Artist Guild and a Juried Member of the Degas Pastel Society. Her work is included in both public and private collections.
 

Gallery Representation

Turning Leaf Wood Art: A Fine Art Gallery in Blue Ridge, GA. www.turningleafwoodart.com

Recent Juried Exhibitions
Southeastern Pastel International Exhibit 2008 Honorable Mention
Dunwoody Fine Art Southeastern Regional Exhibit 2008
Atlanta Artists Center. December 2007 Honorable Mention
Degas Pastel Society Members Show 2007
Binders Limelight Show 2007
Southeastern Pastel Society Members Exhibit 2007
Atlanta Artists Center, Dogwood Show 2007
Atlanta Artists Center, Winners Circle 2007: Second Place Award
Art Station, Winter Members Exhibit 2006
Atlanta Artists Center, December Show 2006
Atlanta Artists Center, Dogwood Show 2006: Merit Award
Binders Limelight Show 2005
Art Station, Fall Members Exhibit 2005
Southeastern Pastel Society Exhibit 2005: Honorable Mention