Joan Sowada grew up in Davis, California and was introduced to many art projects and media by her mother, an art teacher. In ninth grade Joan started using fabric scraps to create collage pictures, with her earliest wall hangings being fabric and yarn doodles on burlap. In the 80's and 90's her applique pictures became more sophisticated and were put on stretcher bars. She began drawing inspiration from candid photos and reproducing in fabric the shadow and light of these images. Since 1999 Sowada has presented her pieces as quilts, enjoying the additional richness of layers and stitching Joan has lived in Gillette, Wyoming for the last 34 years. She creates contemporary art quilts in both abstract and representational styles