Jo is an accomplished artist who specialises in watercolours, oil painting and printmaking. She completed a Bachelor of Fine Art in Melbourne in 1989 before moving to Perth. She has grown her art practice and reputation and has recently exhibited her art overseas in China and Singapore as well as 25 major exhibitions nationally.

In Winged Realm Jo Darvall takes her audience on a journey through a mythical dream of past encounters set in a fertile organic playground. Shapes and forms reference the lotus flower and bird like shrouded creatures, leaving subtle impressions of memory. Past experiences lie deep within the papers textures. Tension and texture are at play as Darvall’s monoprints assemble and reassemble the lotus; the sacred symbol of purity in Buddhism, beauty in Hinduism as well as its association with rebirth in ancient Egypt. The title pays homage to avant-garde experimental poet Christopher Barnett. Barnett a figure from Darvall’s past as a young artists living and working in Brunswick street Fitzroy where Barnett and other street poets would perform. The lotus theme is inspired by Singaporean/ Chinese artist Georgette Chen and Singaporean artist Chua Ek Kay. In 2017 a finalist in an exhibition at Sculpture Square, she was exposed to the works of Chen and Chua. During her residency and future exhibitions in Singapore, Darvall returns to Singapore to exhibit annually.

Darvall has been a finalist in the Perth Royal Art Prize, Minnawarra Art Prize, and John Leslie Art Prize for Landscape painting, Redland Art Prize, Albany Art Prize, Claremont Art Prize, National Still Life Prize, Art Award Art Geo Busselton and a Fremantle Print Award finalist. In addition, she has been selected to exhibit in the Bunbury Biennale 2019 and won the prestigious Mandjar Corporate Award, received a High Commendation Kalgoorlie Boulder Art Prize WA was Awarded “Highly Commended” City of Busselton Acquisitive Art Prize WA and Award Winner Open Acquisitive Art Prize City of Belmont WA.

Jo has published widely and been featured in publications and periodicals. She is an art teacher at Fremantle Arts Centre and University of Western Australia in drawing, oil painting, printmaking, pastels and Watercolours. She is the founder of Swan River Print Studios at Heathcote Cultural Precinct and Artist for Kids Culture Trust in Melbourne. She received funding from the Department of Culture and the Arts in 2016 and 2017 to stage her exhibitions at the Australian High Commission, Singapore and in a private museum in China. In 2016 Jo was invited to participate in an arts residency at Donnally River WA and in 2017 an arts residency at INSTINC in Singapore.

Her artwork features in ArtBank, Holmes a Court, WA Water Corporation, Perth Crown Towers, WA Children’s Hospital and Credit Suisse art collections in Australia, and private collections in New York, South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore and China. Her works are part of the One Farrer Company Collection in Singapore. Recently she had the honour of Professor Steve Dixon, President of LASALLE College of the Arts Singapore, acquiring one of her works from her Winged Realm Series for his personal collection.