Jo Myers Walker

God-Family-Art

Jo Myers-Walker is often honored for her work in the art and social service communities by awards and recognition. These citations are warmly appreciated, but they are not the catalyst for her efforts.

The driving force in the life of Jo Myers-Walker is formed from the trinity of her love for God, family and art. It is from here that she draws the energy and inspiration for the legacies of her life - - creating, teaching, nurturing.

She is a refreshing witness to her personal relationship with God. Daily, she pauses to seek counsel, unburdening, or give thanksgiving. From these moments she draws the strength to fuel her determination, perseverance and optimism to meet her goals. The joy of her spirituality jumps from her work like a gospel choir.

Jo has experienced many of the poignant moments of motherhood from her four children. In addition, she acquired a rich bounty of knowledge from her roles as a single-parent, step-parent, and foster-parent of over a dozen young women. This has brought her into the unique kinship of a circle of women sharing their struggles for self-reliance, respect, and understanding.

She endows her children with an environment of love. Blending the rich qualities passed on from her parents with the values she has embraced, Jo offers them a model of compassion and caring. Striving to be the consummate mother, she is persistent in nurturing, nudging and forgiving. She may stand in awe of the gift motherhood has presented her, but the artistic nature urges her to remove those imperfections that may endanger the creation. She respects parenting as a learned skill requiring communication, knowledge and patience.

As an entrepreneur, she has experienced the excitement of innovation, risk-taking, and responsibility. As a wife, she is committed to the fidelity, equality, and acceptance thatis needed in the warm partnership of a successful marriage.

She carries these same qualities into teaching. The child, or the adult, will leave class with more than knowledge of papermaking or watercolor. They will also feel the inner glow of a positive apperception of their own talents. Her keen eye and experience can read the visual cariried by the abused child has painted or the pained anxieties that he troubled person has transferred to their work. Her students receive much more than an awareness of an art form during their time.

These forces are joined with a talent and a dedication for creating art. The sadness and joy, the pain and pride of parenting and sisterhood are mirrored in the work she creates. Her faith in God and the joy of the fruits of the Creation are released in a dazzling display of color and lyrical characterizations of life. She creates ethereal visions of romance and nostalgia in watercolors or innovative fantasies of vibrant impressions in sculpted paper. Fanciful patterns appear in garments, jewelry, and accessories. Her designs grace corporations, city sites, living rooms, and museums. The world of art is a playground to release the soul of her inner child.

The day will come when the heart has stopped and the hands are still, but the joy, hope, and comfort that emerged from them will continue to be received by our eyes.

Submitted on 7/1/96