For years the Plateau has been blessed with scores of fine artists and craft-persons. There are legends among them, those who capture Beauty’s essence… those who paint light like it’s golden.
The Brier Patch’s legendary artist, Jo Ann Williams Walker, exhibited, instructed, and astounded the mountaintops of North Carolina with her paintings. Catherine Peay, owner of TBP, considers herself fortunate. She says, “The Brier Patch carried JoAnn’s work for 30 years. JoAnn came every summer, painted on the porch at the shop, and taught classes.”
Catherine met JoAnn at age four and adored her since. Catherine’s mother and JoAnn were lifetime friends. Their stories and yarns, spun-on-the-spot, will be forevermore woven and stitched to the JoAnn Legend and to memories of those lucky enough to have one of JoAnn’s amazing creations.
In addition to painting and teaching, JoAnn was known as a painter-entertainer. Favorite quotes:
“Life is your canvas. No one can paint it but you.”
“Paint the dog. Don’t paint the fleas.”
“Simplify: composition, palette, and life.”
“I relate my painting to music. I feel what I am painting. I feel color, strength and power.”
The vibrant color of JoAnn’s work reflected her passion for life. She was a traveler and captured the beauty of Colorado and New Mexico mountains. Customers adore the settings and still life of the highlands all the way down to the lowlands of Florida, Georgia, California, then over sea to France and Italy. JoAnn spoke color like ordinary folk speak a native language.
Reputable product companies sought JoAnn as their sponsor, among them: Windsor & Newton (London); Binney and Smith (New Jersey); and Fredrix Canvas (Georgia). She participated in brush design with Robert Simmons of New York and FM Brush Company of New Jersey. Needless to say, she’s been well-respected and world-renown.
When you look at her work you’ll recognize her influences: Guido Frick, John Singer Sargent, and Sergei Bongart. Leaning toward Impressionism invites a wide audience. Beckoning reds and blues, soft edges, focus on florals/still life, and a delicious treatment of light and shadow sustained JoAnn’s popularity. Many a wall in mountain homes is livened by her work, bringing the outside in.
In addition to The Brier Patch connection, JoAnn showed at Stonehenge Gallery, Montgomery, Alabama; Beverly McNeil Gallery, Birmingham, Alabama; The Flower Store, Auburn, Alabama; Barnels, Lafayette, Louisiana; and The Artist Cove, Panama City, Florida.
We will miss JoAnn. When she passed away in May, she left us with a remarkable legacy—one shaped by her creative spirit, her eye for beauty, and the humor and wisdom she shared so generously. Her influence touched our community and reached well beyond it. Thank you, JoAnn, for teaching us to be unique, bold, vibrant, and open to the unexpected.
For more information regarding JoAnn’s paintings, history, and her 11 published books, contact The Brier Patch, (828) 200‑9003; 4186 Cashiers Road in Highlands.
Favorites Count: 0