Artist Joey McKenna Steps into Nature This Month at SoWal Library

As part of Art in Public Places, artist Joey McKenna will display her work at the Coastal Branch Library in Santa Rosa Beach throughout November. Library hours are 9 AM-6 PM Mondays and 9 AM-5 PM Tuesday through Saturday.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

I am mostly a watercolorist and wanted to paint like my artist/architect father from childhood on. With only a few painting classes at age 10, I didn’t delve into classes and painting until my own children were raised.

My palette of life has had so many colors. Living and traveling in other countries, as my husband’s job took us to many countries, I learned to appreciate the diverse natural beauty and cultures of the world. I have been blessed to live on the Emerald Coast in Santa Rosa Beach, as well as in the craggy rocky mountains of Breckenridge, Colorado.

My passion for photography is never ending, as I look out for that nature shot that makes me smile and tells me I should paint it. With a glimpse of a possible great sunset behind my house on Oyster Lake, I can run to the beach to capture it, and I know that taking my own pictures means my painting is 100 percent mine.

My soul keeps telling me to look at those vibrant details and the beauty of nature that many never notice, like the seeds of the Sea Oats or the stamens of the white-flowered Florida Magnolia trees.

A member of the Cultural Arts Alliance, I won a merit award in 2013 for their “A-Plus Juried Art Exhibit.” I am also a member of an enlightening group, Women’s Art Network. I was a member of the Elkhart Indiana Art League and Museum of Contemporary Art. In Colorado, I am a member of Women of Watercolor, a Plein Air group whom I paint with on Tuesdays.

I have been in juried shows, and exhibited and sold paintings in the U.S. and Canada. I am still growing and discovering.

Discover more at www.joeymckennaart.com.