As a very young artist, Joan Hodges’ imagination and artistic efforts were nurtured by the works of John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Soralla and Berthe Morissot among others. Her Saturday afternoon playgrounds were often the galleries of the Museum of Fine Arts, the Gardner Museum and the Boston Public Library in a day when a trip downtown to the magic of the masters was just a bus and elevated subway ride away.

Her early formal art training was at the Massachusetts College of Art. She also spent three months in Europe with other students and found her art history classes came alive in the museums and galleries there. Although her art career was put on hold while a busy military wife and mother of two children, she did resume her training and working at the Corcoran Museum School in Washington, DC, the Art Institute and American Academy in Chicago, and was a member of the Chicago Palette and Chisel consortium. Joan has studied with Professor William Woodward of George Washington University, also in Washington, and Charles Movalli, Ann Templeton, Charles Sovek, Nelson Shanks, John Budicin and Ken Backhaus.

Her water color work was awarded and hung in London, she received a scholarship at the Studio School in Washington and exhibited in many galleries in Illinois. She has since been honored with a one person show at the Moore County Arts Council’s Campbell House gallery and was awarded a first place in oil painting at the Silver Arts Festival , Pinehurst, NC, and a second place award in oil painting at the State level Silver Arts Festival in Raleigh, NC.

Joan has been studying, teaching and painting for more than 25 years and she’s still at it. Her subject material is varied and she accepts commissions. Her work can be currently seen at the Framers Cottage,  the Arts Council Campbell House sales gallery, both in Southern Pines, NC, and Elliots on Linden in Pinehurst, NC.

She is a member of the Moore County (NC) Arts Council, the North Carolina Museum of Art, a founding member of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC and is a member of the Oil Painters of America.