Joni Pakes
Joni Pakes
The journey for emerging artist, Joni Pakes, began in the fifth grade with the showing of a mixed media piece, a crayon-resist watercolor, at the local Bank of America. Experimenting with various
mediums started at an early age utilizing her father’s vast garage storehouse of supplies. His skill as a woodworking craftsman and studio prop master influenced his daughter to integrate fine art
with unusual materials. Joni obtained her B.A. in Fine Art and a Secondary Teaching Credential in Art at the California State University at Northridge, studying with noted artists Karen Carson and
Bruce Everett. Disillusioned by the lack of work in her field, she continued at her part-time job and proceeded up the corporate ladder, ultimately becoming a top supervisor on the West Coast. In
time she went back to school and became a Certified Public Accountant, working at a public accounting firm for ten years, leaving after she married and started her family. Joni currently lives in
scenic Newport Beach, California which inspires her every day by its nature-infused landscape. Careers have come and gone but her passion for art, her work, has always been a constant.