ABOUT THE ARTIST JoAnn's artistic journey began as a child with a purity of seeing everything in her small world as transformational objets d'art. Growing up in the Midwest, her family vacations often included forays into nature where she would fashion sticks, rocks and other organic novelties into unique sculptures... which in her own young mind she determined to be magical. She wouldn't know at the time how much this fascination would play out later in her life. Foreign travels as a youth and then as an adult expanded upon her intrigue with found objects as transcendental treasures. With a deep affinity for other cultures, she identified intrinsically with their use of indigenous raw materials in creating masterful as well as simplistic works of art. As a design student in London, JoAnn learned to put more focus on the connection between form and function. The melting pot of ethnic diversity in the city also invigorated her creative muse. She was captivated by how beautifully and artistically interwoven were the sights, sounds, scents and flavors of other cultures. She then went to work for the Larson Company based out of Tucson, Arizona which specialized as designers and builders of fantasy. In the development of artificial environments and exhibits, it was one of the preeminent firms in the world. Their remarkable projects spanned the globe...throughout the continental United States where they began, as well as worldwide...in the Pacific from Hawaii to Tokyo and Osaka and Hong Kong, on to Europe; Holland, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and Portugal...and back across the Atlantic to Montreal, Canada's prairie provinces, and the Islands of the Caribbean. As an artist/sculptor, she worked within many different facets of the company. JoAnn was fortunate to have learned a great deal from their use of technology and materials. She would later pioneer advancements of some of those within her own business. Recognizing there was room for a smaller enterprise within the same arena, she and a partner formed Natural Wonder Design Fabricators which was oriented more specifically as designers/builders for the zoological realm. Her other company, Enrichment Design, would specialize in custom fabrication of enrichment apparatus for life in captivity. JoAnn was involved in every aspect of the design as well as the construction. Her laborious endeavors in the field, attention to detail and design savvy have served her well. After completion of the Village WaTuTu at The Living Desert in Palm Desert, California, it was time for JoAnn to throw an anchor and land so she could set up more permanent roots for her children. Up to that point, they had been in tow and traveled from project location to project location. They had become acquainted with more than a few zoos, animals, keepers and curators all around the country. Having had enough of running crews and operating on a larger company scale, she focused on Enrichment Design with an emphasis on simulated vine fabrication for primates, birds and reptiles. The vines could be sculpted in Palm Desert and then shipped to their final destination. This was intended to keep her close to home, although there would be a few more away projects over the next several years. Throughout JoAnn's odyssey of discovering and honing her creative gifts, she continued to evolve toward a way to express her true creative self with more abandon...yet still within a functional capacity. That opportunity manifested as she realized her techniques and uses of many different materials allowed her the freedom to create a sculpture of any design and integrate the peaceful element of moving water. This poetry in motion takes her full circle back to childhood when she would disappear into the fantasy of her mystical sculptures at the river's edge. In addition to her commissioned art and theming work, JoAnn is also a designer/fabricator of unique custom water features for both the residential and commercial markets. She is passionate about the infinite possibilities when incorporating water and art. And the journey continues...