Joan Trost
Joan Trost considers herself a budding artist. Grateful for the support and acknowledgement of her peers and the wonderful, inclusive art club environment, she is honored and humbled to be named the February 2023 Artist of the Month.
Joan has always had an eye for design and color but, growing up on a rural farm, opportunities for art exploration were few. Her first memory of painting was as a 9-year-old—covering an outhouse interior with red enamel and forgetting to hang a wet paint sign for the hired man.
As an adult, she remembers being moved to tears by Michelangelo’s unfinished carvings in Florence, Italy.
In her youth she was always looking for adventure and left the family farm for a Catholic girl’s school in Xavier, Kan. There she spotted a flier seeking volunteers to work with children and social justice issues in Chicago and off she went. Then, not loving the all-girls school, she transferred to Montana State University. There she spotted another flier and found herself in Oaxaca, Mexico, as a summer exchange student. With minimal Spanish and no electricity or running water, that mountain village assignment was all the adventure she ever wanted.
Back at MSU, she met and married Del Trost, a helicopter pilot on his way to Vietnam.
She completed her B.S. in family and social services and Del returned and entered the field of architecture. Blessed with four fantastic children, Del and Joan have enjoyed 54 wonderful years together.
Balancing work and family, Joan created her own business. For 25 years she was a woman in construction, choosing and installing vinyl and wallpaper coverings. However, her life passion was volunteering with the Montana Mental Health Association, leading The Action for Healthy Kids initiative.
In 2016 the Trosts visited friends in PebbleCreek. They fell in love with this community and purchased a winter home. Joan was captivated by the art club windows and amazed at the artwork of PebbleCreek residents.
In 2019, Joan signed up for her first class and bought her first tube of watercolor paint. She discovered a new adventure and a little bit of magic in the world of watercolors. Allowing the water to guide her brush and the excitement of seeing what the paint will do is her passion. Sometimes she looks at her art the next day and says, “Did I really do that?” She is very much looking forward to continuing her artistic journey in and with the community of PebbleCreek.
Joan’s work will be on display at the Creative Arts Center and at the reception desk in both clubhouses during February.