Joni Gruber earned her BFA degree in Drawing and Painting from The Ohio State University. In addition to being a full-time artist she has worked at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Birmingham Museum of Art. Her artwork has been in numerous galleries and juried exhibitions across the US including the Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio and the Wiregrass Museum of Art in Alabama. In 2014 her work was selected for publication in Studio Visit and Art Galleries and Artists of the South. Joni’s encaustic paintings are represented by the Encaustic Art Institute in Santa Fe, NM and Full Circle Gallery in Fort Walton Beach, FL. "My paintings are composed of fluid and vaporous imagery created in layers both subtle and complex. They portray the ephemeral quality of nature and the imprecision of dreams and memories. The work is often about environmental issues such as global warming, deforestation and pollution. Through my intuitive style of working and the improvisational nature of encaustic I explore movement, depth and the ever-shifting coloration of a familiar yet elusive terrain." Joni's studio is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and she often travels to the Emerald Coast of Florida and the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina for inspiration.