JoAnn Ballinger is a leading pastel artist of the Connecticut impressionist movement centered around Old Lyme and Norwich. Known for her gentle pastel renditions of children, seascapes and animals, JoAnn has a gift for capturing fleeting moments in time. With rich color, she achieves an exquisite balance of light and shadow that bring her subjects to life in a manner all her own. Ballinger was educated at the Norwich Art School at the Norwich Free Academy. She is an award-winning member of the Pastel Society of America and has been featured in local and national magazines. JoAnn also teaches at the Lyme Art Association. She continues to contribute greatly to the art scene through her demonstrations and classes in Connecticut and New England, where she resides and has her works displayed in several nearby galleries. “I paint to capture moments and moods in time and space that will never occur again. In our ever changing world, everyone is always hurrying through the seasons to get to the next one without visually appreciating the present. If I can preserve some of the beauty that I see around me, maybe I can give people a second chance to see and experience something they missed the first time, and hopefully, open their hearts to the light and sound in the process.”