Joanne K Guilfoil started earning money as a lifeguard and then as a groom at two race tracks to help pay for school in Lexington, Kentucky. She played basketball at the University of Kentucky, then finally settled down to finish school.

Joanne is a retired art educator and professor emeritus (from Kentucky) who has lived for the last 12 years in Delaware. While  on the Eastern Shore she  taught painting, donated painting projects and wrote  several books .

She published a hardback book all about aviation on Delmarva, then completed a series of three books about chickens on Delmarva, the latest being a 100 year history of the broiler  industry .

At the same time, she also co-wrote a 50 year history of the White Marlin Open , the deep-sea fishing tournament which takes place every year in Ocean City, Maryland during the first week of August. While researching the tournament’s  pelagic gamefish and billfish, Joanne completed several field-guide quality paintings in gouache including: swordfish, sailfish, wahoo, yellowfin tuna, blue marlin, white marlin, mahi, and roundscale spearfish.

These paintings and prints can be seen at NORI in North Ocean City, and the life-saving station museum on the boardwalk. Her painting style is photorealism, which she calls “precision painting”.

Most recently she had two shows in 2026 for “the year of the Horse,” all historic thoroughbred racehorses. One was it the Art League  in Ocean City and one was at the library in Berlin. These featured such local heroes as “man o war” and “war admiral”.  

Joanne was asked to serve on the Board for the Ocean City museum society after donating time to repaint Trimper’s “ticket booth lady .” What an honor to serve such a wonderful organization.

When not painting, she can be found operating a bobcat, a backhoe or a tractor for her adopted family in  Maryland.