JoAnn Godenir

Canadian mixed-media abstract painter JoAnn Godenir draws inspiration from the prairie landscape where she was born and raised. The geometry of farmland, quilt-like patterning, and an earthy, intuitive palette underpin her work, evoking ideas of home, memory, and place.

At the core of Godenir’s practice is a lived negotiation between structure and release. Her paintings explore the pull between order and unpredictability, control and surrender, reflecting the layered realities of womanhood, caregiving, partnership, and selfhood. Rather than literal narrative, these experiences are translated into an intuitive visual language that embraces complexity and resilience.

Built through layers of paint, hard-edge forms, and underpainting, Godenir’s works invite close looking. Conventional and unconventional tools leave traces of process beneath the surface, revealing decisions, revisions, and moments of risk. Her approach combines a deep understanding of materials with a playful yet disciplined exploration of form, pattern, and colour.

Godenir’s work is held in private and public collections across Canada and the United States, including a major commissioned installation for Hotel Canoe in Banff, Alberta in 2025.