Joan Grabel is an American Fine Art Photographer residing in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Inspired by Zen Buddhism, Native American cosmology and Japanese aesthetics, her focus is on exploring the essence of what she observes. 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 the landscape. Her landscape design work paralleled her artwork, minimalist functional form and the impact of color, light and space.

Grabel used photography as a tool of study for painting. While observing the New Mexico sky she realized the photographs were complete as recorded. She discovered that with digital editing she could bring forth the essence of what she experienced. The portfolios Ephemeral Unending developed and Tempest and Meditations on White Sands series followed. Paralleling these series, Grabel became interested in the human experience and pursued portrait exploration and is presently working on a portrait book.

In recent years Grabel’s photographs have been purchased for New Mexico Art in Public Places - Placitas Library, Clovis Fire Dept, Economic Development Dept in Albuquerque and most recently The University of New Mexico Surgery Center in Albuquerque and will be installed in the Fall of 2024. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Grabel’s work was selected for the 17th and 20th Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers, FotoNostrum Gallery in Barcelona, Spain.