Richard Schmid famously said, “Paint what you love, love what you paint”. Well, that wasn't a hard concept for her to grasp.

Her art development was self-directed but took a complete turnaround when she discovered Richard Schmid and The Putney Painters in VT. After many years of invites to Putney Painters Days and numerous workshops she was asked by Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik to become an official member. This was life altering. Everyone was taught to pass on the knowledge acquired through Richard’s generous spirit. This eventually led to Johanne’s desire to teach. She had decades of Marketing experience teaching, writing and nurturing her employees so it was a natural transition.

Because she was taught to paint from life she became known for the presence of live dogs in her workshops and soon horses will be incorporated into upcoming workshops. This provides a spark of inspiration along with valuable information and maybe just a bit of chaos. Creating fresh and lively portraits are always the objective. Using her own pack of dogs has helped in interpreting what she sees when painting from photographs for Commissions.

This process is captured in the DVD “The Fine Art of Painting Dog Portraits” as well as “The Fine Art of Painting Horse Portraits” published by Streamline Publishing. They both became best sellers as well as changing artist’s perception of “pet painting”. No longer taking a back seat to other subject matter she drew inspiration from classic 19th century Animal Painters. Since 2010 she was the first to promote the idea of Dog Portraits being classified as Fine Art.

Following in Richard’s footsteps she established The Third Floor Studio consisting of like- minded working artists. The group meet in an environment conducive to painting, sharing experiences and encouragement.

On the heels of all of this, Johanne was fortunate to fall into the sphere (or spell) of Living Masters, Sherrie McGraw and David Leffel. The challenges they presented have pushed her towards another level of expectation for herself. But it’s not just about painting. As exceptional teachers they have been important role models in her development. Teaching is not technique. Teaching is about understanding.

Her work has garnered accolades and is collected nationally as well as internationally. Along the way she has accumulated many awards but recognition is a only a momentary thrill. If you ask her the body of work is more important. This profession is not for the faint of heart!

Johanne teaches throughout the U.S.