Joanna Poulson

Joanna Poulson is a Tarntanya/Adelaide-based visual artist known for her tonal realist oil paintings that explore the beauty of gardens and flowering plants. Her work is characterized by a deep, patient observation of nature, capturing the intricate details of flowers such as snapdragons, ranunculi, euphorbia, and begonia. Poulson works from photographs of her studio garden in bloom, translating these images onto canvas with precision and a keen eye for form. Her paintings highlight the petals, calyx, leaves, and stamen of each flower, often contrasting sharply focused foregrounds with soft, abstract backgrounds to create a dynamic visual experience.

Poulson’s layering technique, using flat brush blending, builds tonal richness and a faithful impression of light, shadow, and texture, evoking a sense of rapture in the viewer. The result is a celebration of the delicate beauty and vibrant life of flowers.

A graduate of the Adelaide Central School of Art with an Associate Degree in Visual Art (2008), Poulson has exhibited widely in both solo and group shows. Recent exhibitions include Floral Perspectives: A Five-Year Exploration at BMGART (2025), Offerings from my Garden at Gitanjali, Walkerville (2023), and Spring on the Strand at The Strand Gallery, Port Elliot (2022). She has been a finalist in multiple prestigious art prizes, including the Kennedy Art Prize (2022) and Emma Hack Art Prize (2017), and has received support from the City of Prospect and Helpmann Academy.