Sand and Soul, Circa 2023

JoAnn Godenir  

A developed painting rewards the viewer for spending time with it. My work strives to do that through building up, tearing down, and building again. It is about letting go of the precious so that something more magical may happen.

Born and raised on the prairies, JoAnn Godenir's work is deeply inspired by the geometric shapes, quilt-like patterns and vivid colours of the Canadian prairie landscape. Using putty knives and an assortment of tools in place of brushes, JoAnn works in layers to build rich surfaces that are finished with cold wax, giving her works a deep leather-like appearance. Whether she is building layers of paint in her mended quilt-like paintings or adding collage and pops of vibrant fluorescents in works featuring expansive swaths of uniform space punctuated with explicit and implied lines, JoAnn seeks to expose the beauty in finding the sweet spot between chaos and control.

Godenir is based out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada and studied Sociology at the University of Calgary and Fine Art at the University of Saskatchewan. Her award-winning work has been collected across Canada and Internationally. She has participated in several group shows; her first solo show occurred in the spring of 2022.