JOANNA DOLE

Joanna Dole grew up on a lake in Holliston with plenty of woodsy areas to make for a child artist's paradise. "I drew and painted from a very early age. I was always drawing something… I won many first prizes at my church annual art shows. My mother also brought art and culture to the family. She brought us to the MFA to appreciate the impressionist painters she loved, to the ballet and musical performances…she made us handmade paper dolls and did portraits of us. She introduced us to the MFA and the impressionists she loved." Dole attended Emmanuel College and started out as a biology major. When she encountered an expansive array of art classes, she decided to switch her major, to her father's chagrin, and attained a Bachelor's Degree in Art and Education. During college, she spent a semester studying Italian and fine art in Rome, Italy. "It was wonderful: we traveled in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, England and France as well as the Greek islands. I developed a love of cooking..