Bio

Jo-Anne Taraba lives and works in the Niagara region. She completed an Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from York University and attained a Bachelor of Education from Western University. She has been an artist and Visual Arts Educator at the secondary level for over three decades, advocating for emerging young artists, and now paints full-time. Her art has been published and is found in private and public collections. Her work explores the intersection of the universal human journey and the natural world, a narrative told through the dynamic weaving of light, energy, movement and colour. Her goal is to visually articulate the archetypes we embody, and the environments that mirror our internal stories, drawing on myth and personal experience to create a resonant dialogue on the seasons of life, nestled in fragrances of nostalgia and memory.

She creates using oil and acrylic paints for their distinct properties, leveraging the fast-drying nature of acrylics to build dynamic, textured under-layers that establish a sense of energy and movement, and the rich depth and blend-ability of oils to refine and infuse the work with luminous light where colour and light become potent symbols in their own right. Ultimately, her pieces invite the viewer to connect with universal symbols and archetypes, recognizing their own journey mirrored in the work. The paintings are intended to be a visual meditation, vibrant and tactile, inviting contemplation of the transient yet cyclical nature of existence and the powerful forces that shape our lives.

C/V

Education 

1993 - BEd, University of Western Ontario

1991 - BFA York University

Roles

1993 - 2024 Visual Arts Educator, Secondary level, NCDSB

Solo Exhibitions

2002 - Featured Artist, Picassos, St. Catharines

2001 - Featured Artist, Jordan Art Gallery, Jordan

2001 - Luminescence, Niagara Falls

2000 - Featured Artist, Rodman Hall, St. Catharines

1999 - Featured Artist, Rodman Hall, St. Catharines

1998 - Featured Artist, YMCA ART Auction, Welland

1996 - Featured Artist, Epicurean Cafe, NOTL

1996 - Featured Artist, Pumphouse, NOTL

1990 - IDA Gallery, Toronto

Group Exhibitions

2025 - Private Group Curated Show, Dundas Valley Golf Club

2025 -”The Power of She” Juried show, Summer & Grace Gallery, Oakville

2025 - BMFA Group Show, Juried, Collingwood

2025 -Group Show Sleepytime, Durand, Hamilton

2024 - Art Crawl, RAIN, St. Catharines

2002 - Group Show, International Slovak Artists, Bratislava

2001 - Group Show, Prince Arthur Fine Arts, Toronto

2001 - Oakville Arts Society juried art show

2001 - Shaw Show, juried show, NOTL

2001 - Higher Vibrations, Niagara Falls,

2000 - Oakville Arts Society juried art show

2000 - One of a Kind Show, Toronto

1999 - Poets & Painters Show, St. Catharines

1999 - SCAA, juried show, Rodman Hall, St. Catharines

1998 - Poets & Painters Show, St. Catharines

1998 - SCAA, juried show, Rodman Hall, St. Catharines

1998 - Pen Centre Group Art Exhibit

1998 - Women Reflecting Women Group Show, juried, Niagara Falls Art Gallery

1997 - Queenston juried show

1997 - Women Reflecting Women Group Show, juried, Niagara Falls Art Gallery

1996 - Poets & Painters Show, St. Catharines

1996 - SCAA, juried show, Rodman Hall, St. Catharines

1996 - Women Reflecting Women Group Show, juried, Niagara Falls Art Gallery

1996 - Pelham Art Club, juried

1996 - Pumphouse juried show, NOTL

1996 - Queenston juried show

1996 - Artistry by the Lake, juried show, NOTL

1996 - Wesley Arts Show, juried, Cambridge

1996 - Beaches juried art show, Toronto

1994 - Artistry by the Lake, juried show, NOTL

1992 - Artistry by the Lake, juried show, NOTL

1992 - Wesley Arts Show, juried, Cambridge

1991 - Gibson Art Gallery, juried, London, Ontario

Publications

2012 - Author of Visual Meditations, The Book of Hope,  published Balboa Press

2001 - Beyond Reason Magazine, fall cover

2001 - Beyond Reason Magazine, spring cover

2001 - Sue Wardens Home Decor - t.v appearance, (LifeNetwork) HGTV, Toronto

2000 - Exile Literary Quarterly, Vol 24, No. 2 - cover

1999 - Exile Literary Quarterly, Vol 22, No. 4 - cover

1999 - The All Red Route, John Nicole - inside cover

1999 - Suitcases and Other Poems, Shannon Bramer - cover

1999 - St. Catharines Art Association Calendar - June

1997 - Sue Wardens Craftscapes - t.v appearances, (LifeNetwork) HGTV, Toronto

1996 - Sue Wardens Craftscapes - t.v appearances, (LifeNetwork) HGTV, Toronto