Joan Hawkins of Little Rock, Arkansas, began her residency
in Jackson, Mississippi as a Millsaps College student. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art,
she spent a summer and semester during college in Florence Italy. It was through her exposure to the history of
the arts and design there that she developed a passion for a wider spectrum of
the arts that would eventually lead her to pursue a career in interior
design.
While in Italy, Joan studied metalsmithing. Continuing her
studies in metalsmithing via local workshops, as well as courses at Penland
School of Craft. Formerly juried in the
Craftsmen’s Guild of MS in metalsmithing, Joan served on the standards
committee and also as a board member and vice president of the guild.
After college, Joan apprenticed the time honored craft of
stained glass and modern architectural glass installations at Pearl River Glass
Studio. Working collaboratively with
architects and interior designers involved in many large scale glass
installations during her tenure, she
grew in her knowledge and understanding of the technics of scaled renderings
and building specifications within the architectural and interior design field.
In 2003, Joan apprenticed with an internationally recognized
interior designer whom had developed her own exclusive ‘to the trade’ fabric
house. There she became familiar with
custom residential interiors as well as textile design. She was active in assisting with the
development and coloring of Jane Shelton, Inc. exclusive fabric and wall coverings.
“It was a natural segue for me. In artistic endeavors, I was always combining
different media and textures in an unorthodox fashion. Everything became assemblage….” With a passion
for color theory and composition, Joan
has spent the last eleven years approaching interior design much the same way
she has in artwork. Collaborating with
clients to develop spaces that are characteristically individualized to their
needs, Joan maintains an enthusiasm for design from the point of view of an artist.