Discover Delmarva Arts: Joanne Guilfoil

BERLIN, Md. — The year of the horse is all about transformation, rebirth, and resilience — and Joanne Guilfoil is all about that. Having worked as a horse groomer, an artist, and named professor emeritus, her life experience is full of color.

Joanne’s love for painting and horses came at a young age. “Surf City, New Jersey; we didn’t have TV, my father would bring paint by number. And so, we sat and we did paint by number. Through high school we did a couple other projects together. The first horse was the white horse that George Washington rode — we together worked on this watercolor, and I thought ‘wow that’s kind of neat,'” Guilfoil said.

Growing up in Maryland’s horse country gave Joanne a great appreciation for riding — which only grew stronger when she moved to Kentucky for college. To her, bringing life into her paintings and learning something new each time is important.

“The idea is, what do I want to learn about or do so much that I’m willing to work that hard? . . Having worked as a groom — it helps because you know anatomy, temperament; they’re all different, and that’s what I tried to do.”

She says painting the horses is more than a hobby — it’s a way to hold onto the best memories of her time on the saddle. “Racing is not a very kind industry and painting the horses I think helps me remember the good times not the icky things.”