Joan Michelli
Joan Michelli is a New Orleans native residing in River Ridge with her two furry friends Augie and Chloe. While raising her five children so many years ago her creative talents found an outlet in fiber arts through French Hand Sewing, smocking, quilting, and Broderie Perse; also hand building clay items with coil, pugging and small sculptures. When her children were all school age she began painting porcelain studying weekly with internationally known artist Kay Godshalk whose Nashville Avenue studio often hosted other international artists’ seminars. Joan’s painting style, skill and techniques were all enhanced by studying with these many accomplished artists. Several of her works and articles were published in the Porcelain Artist magazine.
Joan opened Creative Hands Studio in 1968 and for the next several years taught classes, offered supplies and kilns to porcelain artists. After closing the studio her creative efforts turned to interior design at the Ethan Allen Gallery off of Clearview Parkway, starting as a consultant, then designer, then Senior designer and finally Sales Manager. In 1994 she left Ethan Allen to establish Southern Scales & Controls with her sons. Recently retired from that business her creative efforts have again turned to painting- this time with acrylics with Jan Wilken. Joan finds this “new” medium very liberating as there is no kiln firing required or size limitation to the art work.
Some but not all of the internationally known artists she has studied with include:
Carlos Spina of San Paulo Brasile, Maro de Freitas of San Paulo, Lourdes de la Riva of Guatemala, Baby Klein de Gomez of Bogota Columbia, Miguel Jimenez of Madrid Spain, Jayne Houston of Kerrville Texas, Lolita de Smith of Corpus Christi Texas, Annett Krum of Fullerton California, Jean Sadler of Hollywood, Mary Ellen Haggerty of Minneapolis and Jan Marcks of Amarillo Texas to name just a few.
Organizations she has been active in include:
Cotton Picken Quilters, N.O. Porcelain Art Guild, LA Porcelain Art Teachers, LA Organization of Porcelain Art Cubs, International Porcelain Art Teachers (IPAT), Porcelain Portrait Society, American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), National Scale Men Association (NSMA), and the International Society of Weighting & Measurement (ISWM).
Joan’s current activities are with the Jefferson Art Guild (JAG) and New Orleans Art Association (NOAA). Twelve of her paintings are currently on exhibit at Ochsner’s Art Walk II through March 31.
