Joan McNamara

Contemporary Paintings

Joan McNamara grew up in the iconic Warwick Hotel in Center City Philadelphia, with the very formal and prestigious Rittenhouse Square as her playground and first outdoor drawing center. Attending school on The Main Line and spending summers at shore she was introduced to nature and the great outdoors, and it was an explosive sensory experience. It was seeing fuchsia azaleas in full bloom against lush, green grass, flowering trees and walkways lined with daffodils that overwhelmed and delighted her senses, defining her artistic expression for over 50 years.

Adept with pastel, acrylic and oil stick, Joan is recognized for her uncanny ability to capture the essence and human experience associated with some of the best vistas in the world, many of which are hidden from the mainstream traveler. Her paintings of landscapes connect viewers to the soothing, restorative effects of nature, illuminate the imagination and capture the earthy connection between humans and the landscapes that surround us.

Joan has enjoyed a life-long career in art. She was formerly coordinator of the Amoco Art Collection in Chicago, a corporate art consultant for Peat, Marwick & Mitchell in St. Louis and a backstage set painter for The Savoy Company in Philadelphia. Since 2009, she has been a member of The MUSE Gallery, a highly regarded artists’ cooperative in Philadelphia. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York, and went on to pursue her Master of Arts in Teaching. She also fine-tuned her skill through rigorous training at PAFA and the École du Louvre in Paris. She currently resides in Gladwyne, Philadelphia and Boynton Beach, Florida.