Joanne Lapic was born in Niagara Falls, NY, but spent most of her early years in southeastern Pennsylvania. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kutztown State College in 1980, focusing primarily on large multimedia figure studies.

Joanne’s work today is executed in oils, pastel, watercolor and monotype, but her primary interest is in oil pastels. She finds them to be extremely versatile and satisfying to the artist who enjoys the tactile experience of drawing but also wishes a painterly quality in their work. Her oil pastels are often executed on canvases instead of traditional supports, and acrylic mediums and sanded pastel grounds are used to amplify the textural quality of the oil pastel application. These works are then fixed with clear acrylic finishes so that they may be displayed without glass, in traditional oil painting frames.

In addition to teaching individuals and leading art groups, Joanne exhibits original art locally, and competes regionally in both full size and miniature competitions. Her original paintings are located in numerous individual collections. Her hand printed fabric panels are utilized by Kestrel Manufacturing under the business name of Walnut Street Studio, and can be seen internationally in private homes, restaurants, and hotels.