Joann Ballinger is a leading pastel artist of the Connecticut Impressionist movement centered around Old Lyme and Norwich. She is known for her gentle pastel 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.
Ballinger is an award-winning signature member of The Pastel Society of America and The American Society of Marine Artists. 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 is represented in galleries across the east coast and Florida. She is a gifted instructor who lectures and gives demonstrations frequently, and in 2011 she demonstrated her technique at the Mystic Maritime Gallery in Mystic, CT. Ballinger 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.”