Joy Markgraf

Growing up on a small farm southwest of Hillsboro, Oregon, Joy was instilled with a love for nature and creating things from scratch. She attended The Portland Art Museum School earning a bachelor of fine arts degree, and later attended Portland State University studying archaeology and learning archaeological illustration. But her path led instead to the creation of her first children’s coloring books titled Young Pioneers Along The Oregon Trail and Native Americans Along The Oregon Trail. Both books traveled along the Oregon Trail in 1993 as part of the sesquicentennial celebration. A third book was published in 1994 called Life at a Hudson’s Bay Company Fort 1821-1860.

Joy has spent the last 36 years living on a ranch near Husum, Washington, a beautiful place where she continues to create. In 2011 Joy founded and organized a program, held each April at the White Salmon library, called Wild About Nature. The program features experts sharing their knowledge from all facets of nature. Creating art for the displays each year keeps Joy engaged and brings immense happiness.

At Botany Washington 2019 Chrystal Shin introduced her to botanical art and she knew she had found the perfect niche for her art. The illustrations shown here are just the beginning — the first step in creating botanical art. Native plants are a favorite subject.

You can contact Joy Markgraf at: [email protected]