Fashion illustrator and writer is hooked on art

published in The Daily Item, Thursday, February 25, 2010. Applause section.

Joanne Landis is a fashion illustrator, writer and artist, and occassionally, aspects of those disciplines and interests merge into new art forms.

She is a full-time artist who was born and raised in New York City, but now resides in the Snyder County countryside. She spent many years as a fashion illustrator in New York and taught at the Fashion Institute of Technology as well as at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Initially, she strived to be a writer, but art quickly became her primary interest. To further her art education, she attended Parsons School of Design in New York City.

“I was going to do art as a sideline project and concentrate on writing short stories, poetry, novels but I got hooked on art. It was something to do as a kid but then I had great teachers when I went to school.”

Her oil paintings will be on display through March at the Cherry Alley Cafe on North Third Street, starting tonight with a launch party from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Hidden in one of those paintings — “The Victorian Garden” — are the words of a poem.

“I repainted [The Victorian Garden] three times,” Landis said. “The third time was when it hooked up with the poem. [The woman] had this sadness about her. I wrote the poem thinking of the painting then I put the poem in the painting,” said Landis.

“When I paint, I try to use my own memories but also try to go back further than myself. And so I paint what I call archetypes or classical people most often from myth or from folklore and try to capture the universal soul,” she added.

Landis does just that in the largest painting on display which is titled “Woman Carrying the Dawn.” The painting is approximately 5 feet by 4 feet in size and was repainted several times before the idea solidified with Landis.

The woman in the painting was originally walking on a mountain range but evolved into the woman being carried away in the water on fish.

Landis explains that “this magical moment was happening like dawn was coming at that moment. There are spirit beings in the background, the moment of dawn – something I saw out in the desert one time. All life greets that moment and that came out at the end of the painting.”

She enjoys being able to display her art in a relaxed atmosphere in here in central Pennsylvania.

“I like showing in alternative spaces like cafes and restaurants where people are more relaxed with the paintings and it’s not so formal,” she said.

In addition to her exhibit at Cherry Alley Café, Landis frequently displays her art at other Pennsylvania locations including Gallery Blu in Harrisburg and The Pajama Factory in Williamsport. She also shows her pieces at Art Haus in San Francisco.

All of the display pieces are for sale, and a price list is available upon request.

The Cherry Alley Café is located at 21 N. 3rd Street, Lewisburg and can be reached by calling (570) 524-1234.