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the heart of the Nicolet National Forest, artist
Joan White turns gnarled, knotty pieces of wood
into beautiful works of art.
 After
graduating from the School of the Art Institute of
Chicago, White moved to Lakewood, Wisconsin, a
small town in the state's northern parts. There she
and husband, Ken, purchased a quaint little church
that today serves as her studio and gallery.
White's first foray into wood painting came when a
client requested that she paint on a piece of barn
wood. Today, the pieces have become the artist's
trademark.
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 Joan
works on one piece at a time. Depending on
the size, a painting can take a day to
finish, or as long as several weeks. Most
of her creations are painted on hardwoods
like maple, oak and cherry.
Choosing and preparing the wood is as
important as the painting itself.
Because the wood's character is such an
important part of each piece, she and Ken
developed a natural two-year curing
process that helps retain its bark. Before
Joan begins painting, Ken planes and sands
the pieces with several grits of sandpaper
until they're glassy smooth.
 Joan
has developed a technique of layering transparent
oils to achieve a 3-D effect while allowing the beauty
of the wood grain to show through.
Excerpted
from:
Log Home Design Ideas magazine,
September 1999
You can read
more about
Joan White and her work in:
•Wildlife Art July/August 2005 Feature- 'Going with the Grain'
•Log Home Design Ideas
10th Anniversary Issue,
October 2004
•Feature Article 'Profiles',
Log Home
Living
September 2004
•Log
Home Design Ideas magazine,
February 2003 - pages 69, 75 and 77. (Showcase features
three paintings by Joan White)
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