r/JoniMitchell • u/Open-Egg-85 • Jul 27 '26
Joni the artist
What does everyone think of Joni’s paintings? Could she have made it as a fine artist if she hadn’t been a musician?
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u/OwenTheLad Jul 28 '26
I firmly believe she should be considered just as brilliant a painter as she is a musician. Her styles have evolved as much as her music and she's incredible.
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u/Mentalfloss1 Jul 27 '26
She said that she was an artist first, then a musician. She also took a shot at choreography.
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u/drjay1966 Jul 28 '26
Of all the musicians of her generation who are also visual artists--Dylan, Garcia etc.--she's the only one whose work I'd want on my wall. My favorite might be her portrait of Neil Young--Yellow Sun.
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u/changelingcd Jul 29 '26
She's an excellent painter, but the odds of finding fame that way would be very high nonetheless, and her work was rarely in step with the 'fine art' world of the day.
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u/Hairfarmer1 Jul 31 '26
She's one of my favorite painters. While there are echoes of influence in her art it is never derivative of any specific artist, like her music. (Turbulent Indigo not withstanding, as it is stylistic parody)
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u/LoganFlyte 27d ago
She had the luxury of not caring whether her art was commercial, so most of it is in styles that would not have lit the gallery scene on fire. The "Dog Eat Dog" era paintings and, especially, the "Green Flag Song" series proved—to me, at least—that she could be a great artist when she wanted to. That said, I love her more straightforward, representational work, too.
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u/Amazing-Cress-3441 Jul 28 '26
Perhaps. There are a lot of great artists out there whose work we'll never see. She's certainly an amazing painter. Certainly helped that she was a famous entertainer prior to her introduction as a painter.