Jo Ann Ritter is a traditional  plein-air painter whose love of color is the driving force behind her paintings. Depending on the subject matter, her work crosses over the line of representational art into colorful impressionism, using brush strokes and color to make an emotional impact.

Jo Ann began her art education at Penn State and Syracuse University. She attended the Museum School in Boston and  studied with nationally-known painters, including portraiture with Clement Micarelli; landscape painting with Don Stone, a member of the National Academy of Art; David Leffel; Charles Sovek; and Colorado painters Skip Whitcomb and Kim English.

Ritter has traveled extensively in Europe, studying and painting in most of the major cities.   Home base is her large Cape Cod studio. But, believing a serious plein-air painter is continually inspired by a diversity of surroundings, she spends winters in the Caribbean. The rest of the year she also paints on locations throughout the United States.
“I am not a studio painter. The thrill of being outside, absorbing all of nature and attempting to transpose this force onto a canvas is exhilarating.”

Jo Ann is the recipient of numerous awards in oil painting and her work is collected internationally. She is affiliated with the Copley Society of Boston, Hudson Valley Art Association, Cape Cod Art Association, Chatham Creative Arts Center and Oil Painters of America.