About Joy

Joy Africano is a contemporary realist painter who lives and works in North Palm Beach, FL and Buffalo, NY. As a student, researcher, and teacher of the natural sciences for over 35 years, she learned many stories of its wonders that fuel the work she produces and what she hopes to protect - the great monarch butterfly migrations, inconspicuous symbiotic relationships between living creatures, the wonders of the oceans yet to be discovered, how trees communicate with each other, etc. As an artist and activist, her paintings capture the essence of our natural habitats and the creatures we share them with in order to inspire empathy and therefore, action, to protect them.

As the artist explains, “When we are born on this beautiful planet, we come to learn lessons to become a better person. Each life we live is an opportunity to grow and expand. My expansion is to be able to show you the joy and beauty that is all around.” 

For the past 7 years, Joy’s journey as an artist has blended with her career as a scientist and activist. As a result, her practice includes upcycling supplies and she has donated art to MacArthur State Park, Clean Air Coalition, Buffalo Historical Society and more.