Joanne Reich is a Figurative artist.  Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork
- particularly paintings and sculptures - which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational. The term "figurative art" is often taken to mean art which
represents the human figure, or even an animal figure, and, though this is often the case, it is not necessarily so:

    “Since the arrival of abstract art the term figurative has been used to refer
     to any form of modern art that retains strong references to the real world.”

Painting and sculpture can therefore be divided into the categories of figurative, representational and abstract, although, strictly speaking, abstract art is derived (or abstracted) from a figurative or other natural source. However, the term is sometimes used as a synonym for non-representational art and non-objective art, i.e.art which has no derivation from figures or objects.

Figurative art is itself based upon a tacit understanding of abstracted shapes: the figure sculpture of Greek antiquity was not naturalistic, for its forms were idealized and geometric. Ernst Gombrich referred to the strictures of this schematic imagery, the adherence to that which was already known, rather than that which is seen, as the "Egyptian method", an allusion to the memory-based clarity of imagery in Egyptian art. Eventually idealization gave way to observation, and a figurative art which balanced ideal geometry with greater realism was seen in Classical sculpture by 480 B.C. The Greeks referred to the reliance on visual observation as mimesis. Until the time of the Impressionists, figurative art was
characterized by attempts to reconcile these opposing principles. The rise of the Neoclassical art of Nicholas Poussin and Jacques-Louis David ultimately engendered the realistic reactions of Gustave Courbet and Edouard Manet.

The formal elements, those aesthetic effects created by design, upon which figurative art is dependent, include line, shape, color, light and dark, mass, volume, texture, and perspective, although it should be pointed out that these elements of design could also play a role in creating other types of imagery --
for instance abstract, or non-representational or non-objective two-dimensional artwork.

Joanne's Bio

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be an artist. I suppose that’s always the way when you realize that you excel at something early in life . I remember that in my pre-school days, my mom used to bribe me with the promise that I could color the pictures if I learned to read my book. But, I learned as soon as I tried to get a job that it was hard to earn a living as an artist. So, it became my “side-line career” instead. To a point, it was like having my cake and eating too!

In case you are curious, I was always good in math, as well as art. That’s what helped to get me into university. After I graduated, I stumbled in to a career in computers. In fact, at the time, IBM was recruiting artists to become programmers, because the thought was that the artistic mind could grasp abstract concepts involved in logic, problem solving, and generating creative solutions. Turned out they were right.

Now, finally, my career and my “side-line career” are merging because I am able to sell my artwork over the internet! Go figure!

My favorite medium is clay figure sculpting, followed by oil painting, and pencil or charcoal drawing. I like the feel of these and their forgiving nature (you don’t have to get it right the first time!). My favorite topics are people… doing portraits, working from models. I guess that’s because I like connecting and communicating with people of all types.

Today, my works are displayed nationwide from Southern California (my home) to Massachusetts in both home collections and galleries. I spent twelve years studying oil painting at DeCordova Museum Art School in Lincoln, MA with the Master, George Dergalis, and, most recently, spent four years studying sculpture at the Brentwood Art Center in Brentwood, CA with the sculptor Jonathan Bickart. Additionally, I have a BA in Art from UCLA and an MBA in Marketing from Babson College, Wellesley, MA.

Today, you can find me in my studio in the Pacific Palisades, CA with my two cats, Hurricane and Gloria, close by, listening to music while I sculpt or paint, and drawing inspiration from interesting people and places I have encountered along the way.