Joan DuBay-Tully - Sculptor

Joan DuBay-Tully is a professional artist with over 55 years of creating in many different mediums ranging from paintings, sculptures, and etchings, to metal work and unique fiber art. Joan was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1940 but has made her home for the past 45 years in the picturesque Mississippi river city of Dubuque, Iowa. Joan received her B.A. degree in Art from Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa and has continued to increase her artistic knowledge and skills throughout the years by taking classes and workshops in the various disciplines that she enjoys.

Joan grew up in Des Moines in a rather creative family that encouraged her to develop her artistic skills early in life. After graduating college she found herself in Washington, D.C. working for the United States Department of the Navy, illustrating weapons manuals. She also worked part time for NASA illustrating early outer space exploration projects used for TV space simulations.  While living on the east coast in the early 1970’s, she explored oil and watercolor painting.

In 1983, Joan transitioned into working with fabric designing and producing “art quilts” and she has been exploring the boundaries with fiber ever since. She enjoys discovering and developing various techniques using an assortment of fibers, art mediums, thread embellishments, metals, painting, beads, papers and found objects. Joan has worked in both two and three dimensions, integrating traditional and innovative techniques into her art quilts and sculptures.

In general, she does figurative work, frequently drawing upon her immense imagination, creativity, vast knowledge in various disciplines and unique talent to incorporate color, texture and whimsy into each of her one-of-a-kind pieces. Joan’s artistic creations and fiber art pieces have been featured in several local, state and national publications. In addition, she has won acclaim at many juried art, fiber, figurative art & quilt shows, and competitions throughout the United States. Many of her unique creations have won top awards and are held in high regard among her peers. She has exhibited and sold her works nationwide in galleries and other show venues.

Joan is a frequent instructor and lecturer at various organizations in the Midwest where she discusses and demonstrates her various creative techniques that she uses to develop her own creations.