Joann Ballinger is known for her gentle pastel of renditions of children, seascapes and animals. Her love of light and color and her unique perspective of life is evident in her work. Her rich purples and deep blues combined with the exquisite balance between shadows and light bring to life a child playing at the beach or tides of a sea. Her pastels are often mistaken for oil paintings as her distinctive marks resemble brushstrokes and she blends only sparingly. It is important to her to get beyond the technical side, to convey a sense of mood, and that is when she listens to her creative side.
“I look for interesting effects of color and light but I also want to paint scenes that will remind viewers of a special time in their lives, so I look for scenes that remind me of a special time in my life.”
It is that emotional connection to her subject matter and beautiful color combinations that continue to keep her work in high demand. Ballinger is represented in galleries across the East Coast and Florida, and her significant awards include the Connecticut Pastel Society Honor Award in 2005. She has been featured in many national and local magazines and in 2008 had a feature article in the June/July issue of American Artist magazine. She lectures and gives demonstrations frequently and in 2011 demonstrated her pastel technique at the Mystic Maritime Gallery in Mystic, CT. She has taught classes for many years at the Lyme Art Association in Old Lyme, CT.
“I paint scenes that open my heart with light and sound. I hope because of that, love will flow into my paintings and be recognized by others.”