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Joanelle Mulrain
jmulrain@comcast.net
www.greatblueheronstudios.com
Jacksonville, FL USA
About the Artist
Joanelle Mulrain grew up on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. She studied under painter Memphis Wood; potters Charlie Brown, Toshika Tokazu, Marilyn Taylor, and Kaye Kaufman; and watercolor artist Mun Quan. Following a penchant for archaeology and ancient history, she studied the Mayan culture in-depth throughout Mexico. Her professional career started in retailing, continued for more than 20 years in healthcare marketing communications, then moved into government while working for a U.S. Senator in Jacksonville and Washington, DC. She moved and lived nearly three years in Washington, where her love of art and nature's seasons flourished. She consulted for national and international artists, architects, as well as entertainers through Mulrain Resource Group.
In the mid-90's, her adventurous spirit led her and her oldest son to crew the HMS Bounty tall ship from Jacksonville to South Street Seaport, New York, and most recently they climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro (19,340') in Tanzania. While living in a historic 1820 Federal home (L 'Enfant Trust) in DC on P Street, NW, she worked with a friend and opened a 12k-square-foot art gallery on M Street. In 2005, she returned to Jacksonville with her younger son, and expanded her client base. At dusk one evening at civil rights/environmental activist and author Stetson Kennedy's homestead on Lake Beluthahatchee, she snapped a digital photo of "Big Blue," a wild great blue heron sitting on a cypress tree limb surrounded below by a million cattails. These dual images - the heron and cattails - inspired her and, subsequently, became her logo and signature image for Great Blue Heron Studios. Frequently, she paddles her blue kayak deep into the St. Johns' swamps and tributaries to snap the tall, fluid and elegant cattail stalks as they move in unison with the wind, their rhizome roots connected underwater in a whirlwind of tangles.
Recently she has begun a suite of rooted vegetables, mostly Asian, and a citrus series. Light, air and water are central themes in her work. Her water-level portraits feature birds and nature, raw and alive. Her cattails are reminiscent of the ancient Nile Valley, and its bulrushes. The paintings secretly envelope hidden archaic images and symbols mystically surprising the eye when found within a fold of the long, thin leaves and jutting cattail flowers. These peaceful vistas are embellished with a broad palette of color offering a whimsical presentation of bold brushstrokes. A radiance of color bursts forth in a spiritual, calming manner. Her commune with nature is evident as she visually asks the viewer to participate with her in this journey through nature on canvas and paper as she shares her deep understanding of the importance of sustaining our ecosystems and protecting and preserving our natural environment for generations to come. In 2007, she authored her first signed and limited edition book in a series of 12, "Re-Rooting: Life's Journey."
Artist Statement
I have been smiled upon during my lifetime. Through a myriad of experiences and travels that have broadened my mind and pleased my soul, I am now back to my roots, those that grew and became my foundation. I have always wanted to go back to painting and photography. I have always wanted to write a book. So, no time like the present to work on this trilogy of work, and I have never been happier. Through my painting, I express the beautiful cattails in their wild and willowy manner in the swamps and tributaries of the St. Johns River and beyond. I have grown up with these beautiful strands of green and brown, and they tend to follow me wherever I go. They are different throughout our country and abroad. They are sentinels for our environment. My range of color is exciting to work with and my tools are decades old, recently found and now reused. Through my photography I capture in a very simple way what I see with my eye and now am able to share with others. Through my words in my book I am able to touch those in the midst of change and support their move forward. I have found my place for a while. I am blessed to be able to share my passion.
Artist Images
       
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