Joni Metolius was born and raised in Oregon, surrounded by a family of highly accomplished musicians, photographers, and artists. From these relatives, she learned about the dedication needed to excel as a creative person and the challenges associated with ego and pride.

Despite her interest in the arts, Joni pursued a career in psychotherapy in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over several decades, she has worked with individuals dealing with addiction, trauma survivors, life-altering medical conditions, workplace issues, and interpersonal communication challenges. Her work extends to providing critical incident debriefings for corporate entities, helping them manage disruptive events and support employees to adapt accordingly. During the pandemic, the demanding therapy work brought her close to burnout. Seeking a healthier work-life balance, she followed a suggestion from Emmy Jay Dimitroff, an artist and relative. This led Joni to take YouTube classes in abstract art. Delving into these classes sparked her interest in creating abstract art.

Joni stumbled upon the use of cyanotype and common kitchen chemicals. The result has been an exciting and delightfully unpredictable addition to the materials used in her creative process. She has been encouraged by the positive responses from fellow artists and friends to display her artwork in public

As Joni transitions from psychotherapy to art, she feels a keen connection to the healing energy found in both creative endeavors. Both require access to the deepest places in our heart/spirit/mind. Both lead us to expose and explore self, ego, and soul. Both require a desire to communicate, create trust, and reveal inner truth. Both paths heal.

Joni and her husband, Dave Yarger, live in Novato, California with their dog Morgan and a small flock of beautiful chickens.