Using acrylics and mixed media on paper, board or canvas, painter Joanne Topol creates visually striking images with bold, symbolic designs and sophisticated palettes of vibrant colors and earthy mineral tones. In addition to her accomplishments as a visual artist, Topol is a research scientist, having received a Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the California Institute of Technology in 1990.
Parallel pursuits of art and science began during her undergraduate years at Brown University, and continued at the University of Michigan, where she earned her Masters in Human Genetics. While pursuing her doctorate at Caltech, Topol also attended classes at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. More recently, she has studied monotype and collage techniques at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena. Topol has been painting full-time and selling her artwork since 2000. Although she has always loved the analytical nature of science, she embraces art for very different reasons. In contrast to her years in science, she experiences the artistic process as a purely right brain activity — an intuitive, non-analytical experience of inner feelings — not an expression of thoughts or ideas acquired in the outer world. Topol has resided in Southern California since 1981. She now lives in Pasadena with her husband Michael, and their children, Alex and Sarah. Exhibitions: CMg Design Studio, Pasadena, CA Solo Show June 2000
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