Meet Joanna

Joanna’s paintings are objects of beauty and magic to be collected and treasured for a lifetime, she aims to touch the soul of the admirer.

Her vision creates hauntingly beautiful animals with her ever-adapting style, which can sometimes use unexpected colours, words repeated to form an image, or gold leaf.

Some of Joanna’s work is cropped into contemporary compositions which enhance today’s popular minimalist interior design for private homes, boutique hotels or corporate organisations.

Joanna is recognised and collected in the Art Market and has a listing in ‘Who’s Who in Art’. Her work has sold at Christies Auctions. A series of her paintings hang in two of the famous chefs ‘Raymond Blanc’ bedroom suites at his hotel ‘Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons’.

She has sold to blue chip organisations such as Standard Chartered Bank and Old Mutual Bank to add to their contemporary art collection. She has also sold her work to many celebrities.

Joanna is coming up to her 25th year and has embraced working full time from her studio towards a big show next year in 2025, she no longer has a gallery on the high street but sells direct through her website, Instagram and FB pages.

A signature that reads 'Joanna May' in cursive.
A woman with light brown hair and hoop earrings smiling in front of a large leopard face mural.
Yellow leather journal with embossed text 'Joanna's Journey' and a strap with an engraved 'M'.
Open tan leather wallet with a white card inside containing black text about traditional Chinese belief and an elegant gold monogram at the top.
Open notebook with a page showing text about Joanna's journey as a wildlife illustrator and a drawing of a cougar on the right page, published in Animal World Magazine, with a leather-like cover.
Open book displaying in the left page a date, June 2001, and text about Joanna's first painting accepted into Christie's contemporary art auction, with the Christie's logo. The right page shows a drawing of an eagle owl with orange eyes and patterned
Open photo album with a page displaying the year 2001 and text about Joanna opening her first gallery in Marlborough, Wiltshire. The other page shows framed artwork of an owl through a window with multiple panes.
Open book with a textured gold cover showing a page with the year 2004, a biography notice for Joanna, and a photo of two zebras, one with orange and white stripes and the other with black and white stripes, with text about an art auction.
Open photo album with two pages; page on left has text about Joanna's first art show at London 'Gallery One', opened by DJ Mike Read, raising money for Gerald Durell Organisation; right page has two photographs from the event showing people standing
Open book with a page of text on the left and a picture of a hare on the right. The text mentions Joanna being invited on BBC's Spring Watch in 2006 to talk about her artwork, 'The Hare'.
Open book with gold border, showing text about 2007, chef Raymond Blanc and his love for a black leopard, with a picture of Blanc smiling and pointing at a large black leopard painting on a green wall.
Open photo album with a page dated 2008, describing Joanna May's first solo exhibition at Raymond Blanc's hotel. The right page contains two photos: the top photo shows a man in a tuxedo pouring champagne, and the bottom photo shows a group of people
Open scrapbook with a color photo of a woman in a white dress standing next to an art piece of a tiger, and a black-and-white photo of a woman sitting on a bench outside a building with large windows and the word "EXHIBITION" on the wall.
Open photo album showing an art gallery window with tiger artwork, a cheetah artwork, and a mural, with a caption about Joanna opening a new gallery in Marlborough in 2009.
Open scrapbook with text about raising money for an Asian Elephant and photos of a woman with a tiger and elephant statues.
Open photo album with a page showing 2010, details of an exhibition at Joanna's Marlborough Gallery featuring a television presenter, with two photos of attendees standing near a tiger painting and a woman sitting in front of a tiger artwork.
Open photo album with wedding photos showing two women in white dresses, a bride and groom with wedding party, and a couple celebrating with drinks. The left page has a wedding date, July 2011, and a caption about the wedding covered by Wiltshire Lif
Open photo album with gold-colored cover, featuring handwritten message and signature on the left page, and two photos on the right page: a man looking at a lion painting, and a group of three people standing in front of a lion artwork in an indoor s
Three people standing in a room, holding a portrait of a lion wearing a crown and a Union Jack flag, with a background of red artwork, in a photo album with a gold border.
Open scrapbook with a gold edge cover, showing a page with black serif text on the left stating "March, 2014," "Joanna May’s Art & Interior Exhibition," and "Opened by Paul Martin from BBC’s ‘Flog It’"; an intricate gold monogram at the bottom left.
Open photo album with a page displaying December 2018, a message about showcasing a new book titled 'The Hare on the Moon' and two photos of a holiday gathering, one with people inside a home near a Christmas tree and another with two women talking a
An open photo album showing a page with text and a photo. The text is about a fundraising exhibition in June 2019 for the Global White Lion Protection Trust. The photo shows a woman in a black lace dress and heels talking to two women; one wears a gr
Open book with text on the left page and a photo of three women standing together on the right page, inside a room with people in the background.
Open book with text on the left page about a November 2019 event at Wadworth Brewery, and a photograph of a woman in a yellow dress and brown cardigan talking to a man holding a book on a staircase inside a brewery or pub.
Open photo album displaying a page with event details on the left and a picture of two women viewing artwork in a gallery on the right.
Open photo album page with text about a gallery opening and a photo of four women standing together at an art gallery, smiling.
Open tan leather planner with a white page displaying a gold monogram and black text that reads, "And the journey of an artist's life continues..."
A yellow leather-bound notebook with the words 'Joomla Way Art' embossed on the bottom left corner.

Testimonials

  • Portrait of a black and white cat with green eyes and a white chest against a white background.

    Karen Jane Dudley

    Heartfelt gratitude. The artwork and detail are exquisite and embrace every ounce of Ozzy's personality. Thank you!

  • Illustration of two basset hound dogs with long ears and sad eyes, standing side by side against a white background.

    Diane and Steve Bailey

    Just seen the finished picture, we weren't going to look but couldn't stop ourselves! Absolutely brilliant, thank you so much!

  • A realistic painting of a brown and tan dog, likely a retriever breed, with piercing yellow eyes, floppy ears, and a detailed nose, against a plain white background.

    Karen and David Owen

    Joanna May's artwork is amazing! We couldn't be happier. Joanna's eye for detail is phenomenal and brings the drawing to life.