Joyce Nelson Patenaude has had the gift and passion for art since childhood. She has an undergraduate degree in art from Cerrritos College and a Bachelors of Art degree in Art and Sociology from California State College, Long Beach. She completed her PhD. in clinical psychology and is a licensed psychotherapist.

For the last 30 years she has been in private practice in Santa Monica, CA. Dr. Patenaude is an educator, lecturer and a published author. Her book; Too Tired To Keep Running, To Sared To Stop. During the last 30 years she continued life drawing in pastels and charcoal, worked in the fashion industry as a designer and has studied sculpting at Northridge University, CA and in France. She is a member of Oil Painters of America.

After being struck by a severe stroke in the spring of 2003, she returned to her first love: painting and sculpting. She paints in oil on canvas. She is adept at seascapes and landscapes, but her passion is still life and portraits. She has a classic approach with a contemporary look; she uses glazes to create light illumination emerging from darkness. She successfully sells her work through commissions. In April 2006 Dr. Patenaude lost the sight in her right eye and has limited vision in the other, however, she continues to successfully paint in spite of her challenges. Sculpting and painting is her passion and have always played a major role in her health and healing.