Joy Foglietta

In her own words

From the Artist

I fell in love with photography, especially after my husband and I relocated to Seattle, Washington, in 2010. I took pictures and edited them as a hobby. My background has been in insurance, but photography balanced me.

I stopped selling life insurance shortly after COVID. During this time, I decided to pursue many different passions, starting with running as a way of fundraising, mostly for Central America through Church and St. Jude’s. I completed my goal of running 5 half-marathons before my 65th birthday. Over the last 2 years while running, I started painting with acrylic paints. I was painting my edited pictures for pure enjoyment. I found painting a calming hobby.

While running, I had so many thoughts that made me decide it was time to write a book, as I have wanted to write a book about mental illness ever since I was in my twenties. I was struggling with some anxiety and found that my poetry, painting, and running all helped me! I didn’t set out to profit from my paintings or my book, but I do feel it is important to share our experiences, especially if they are helpful.

Please consider purchasing my book for $25.00 each. I have six books here and will donate 100% of your purchase to Eric Elder’s Ministry. My book is titled: Breaking the Stigma of Mental Illness. It is a memoir about my bipolar mother. My prayer is that this will encourage anyone who lives with a mentally ill person to look at this illness through God’s viewpoint.

Please enjoy my paintings. One thing I love about painting the butterfly is how detailed God’s work is. Although I’m not selling any of my original art, if you want me to duplicate one of my paintings, please email me at joyforyourheart@gmail.com.