October 2021 2-D Featured Artist JoAnn LaPadula

JoAnn LaPadula is an award-winning artist who moved to Fort Myers several years ago from the Finger Lake Region of New York State where she had lived her entire life. She is a member of the Fort Myers Beach Art Association and Alliance for the Arts. Her work has been featured on the cover of the Sand Life Magazine, in Gulfshore Life and in the Florida Watercolor Society online exhibit. Some of her works reside in collections as far away as Guantanamo and California.

She obtained a BA degree in art from Buffalo State after graduating from Rockland Community College. She worked in the field of graphic design for 30 years.

“Retirement has given me the opportunity to return to my interest in fine arts and I began painting in watercolor,” said JoAnn. “I was not interested in the customary watercolor style, so I attended a few workshops to find my own preference. I do not consider myself a traditional watercolor artist but would say I am more of a ‘colorful’ abstract-realist. Here in Southwest Florida, I am thrilled to say I was able to find people who have been a great inspiration to me, and I found the support I needed to begin my second career.” 

JoAnn’s signature style features a blowing/spraying technique and negative painting that has proven appealing to her many fans.