Joan Grabel is a New Mexico based artist. Inspired by Zen Buddhism and Native American cosmology. Her focus is on exploring the essence of what she observes. Subjects vary and the intent is the same. Abstracting and isolating, she brings forth the image that expresses the core of her perception. Her work can be defined as Abstract Expressionist and Minimalist.

Grabel’s early fine art paintings explored the geometric and organic forms inspired by the shapes of the human body and its relationship to the landscape – merging body and landforms that can be seen in her portfolio Body and Earth Entwined. Over the years she expanded her art from the canvas to landscape design. Her design work paralleled her artwork, minimalist functional form and the impact of color and light.

Grabel used photography as a tool of study for painting. While observing the New Mexico sky she realized the photographs were complete as recorded observations in themselves. She discovered that with digital editing she could bring forth the essence of what she experienced without painting - the portfolios Ephemeral Unending developed and Tempest and Meditations on White Sands series followed. In 2019 her passion shifted to portrait exploration and is presently working on a portrait book. At the same time she is developing a series on the fragile landscape.

In recent years Grabel’s photographs have been purchased for New Mexico Art in Public Places (Santa Fe, NM). Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including the Ceres Gallery (New York, NY), SITE Santa Fe (Santa Fe, NM) Photo Place Gallery (Middlebury, VT), Blank Wall Gallery (Athens and Crete, Greece) and at the Laurent Gallery (Melbourne, AU).