LIVING IN COLOR

Artist JoAnn Smith opens the doors to the joyous world of whimsy she has painted into life.

-  JOHN O'HERN

JoAnn Smith lives out in the country in the southern Finger Lakes of New York, down a half-mile drive which she admits is "fun in winter." She has no neighbors, she says, "but I have deer, turkeys, grouse and beautiful birds to keep me company." Her 1859 farmhouse is surrounded by colorful gardens (she is a Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardner).

When the opportunity arose, she began to paint the all-white interior of her home "to make it feel like summer in wintertime. It's like living in one of my artworks-a very nesting feeling." Her artworks are colorful, fanciful images of fruits and trees painted on canvas or panels as well as on found objects. Eventually her home had more than her artwork. It now has painted walls, ceilings and floors as well as painted floor cloths-a popular craft in the 18th and 19th centuries and completely in keeping with her old farmhouse. For her wall art she built and painted frames out of materials she found at rummage sales.

I first saw JoAnn's wall art and painted furniture in a local gallery. In a long cold winter, it brightened my spirit and made me smile. That's a good response to a work of art.