International Invited Artist

Joan Bailey, an artist from Calgary, Alberta, Canada has been selected as the 2009 GGAF International Invited Artist.

Joan’s artistic education has been mostly self-directed. Although she started painting in watercolors, Joan has adopted inks and acrylics as her favorite paints along with using paper, molding paste, gels, metallics, sand and found objects on canvas or board. She also experiments with pastels, charcoal, encaustic, collage and oil sticks, and has created 2D work in wood, leather and metal combinations.

Sometimes applied thickly and at times poured thinly, her paintings are impressionist, abstract or representational. She paints with her hands, paint scrapers and knives, and occasionally brushes. 
Some of her experiments include using the sun and heat to quickly dry poured inks to create detailed impressions of leaves, grasses and other objects.

Joan’s art is routinely included in shows in Alberta, Canada. A few of her 2009 shows include the Calyx Distinctive Arts Show, Planet Earth Exhibit at the Leighton Centre, and The Works Festival in Edmonton.

After the GGAF, she will move on to a stay as the Artist in Residency at the Creative Kids Museum/Calgary Science Centre.

Find our more about Joan Bailey at her web site.

The International Invited Artist Program

In 1999, the International Invited Artist program was first introduced with Mr. Tadishiro Fukui, a master woodblock artist from Pensacola's Sister City of Hagiwara, Japan exhibiting at the festival.

Since then, the International Invited Artist has become a mainstay of the Festival. Many of the artists have come from Pensacola Sister Cities.

In 2000, Mr. Mario Parra, a sculptor and his wife, Elizabeth Thompson, a textile artist visited from another Pensacola Sister City, Escazu, Costa Rica. 2001 saw another Sister City artist, Luz Becerra from Miraflores, Peru. Ms. Beccerra works in leather.

In 2002, we had a ceramic artist from Xalapa, Mexico, Ms. Leonor Anaya. Our 2003 International Artists were another husband and wife team, Mr. and Mrs. Lin Shin-Hui from our Sister City of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

In 2007, textile artist Zenon Cirilo Pumayalli Quispe from Chinchero, Peru, in the Andes Mountains was featured at the Festival.