Joyful Ward (b. 1987) is a Pacific Northwest-based marine wildlife artist whose deep love for the ocean was ignited in childhood and reawakened after a near-death experience at age 22, during which she dreamed of swimming with whales — a vision she believes called her back to life and to her art. Holding both a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Fine Arts in Studio Art and Painting, she creates richly expressive oil paintings that blend palette knife and brushwork to capture the movement, light, and atmosphere of the underwater world. A certified scuba diver, Joyful draws from firsthand experience beneath the surface and collaborates with marine biologists and conservationists to authentically portray her subjects. Her paintings are intended as portals of peace — visual sanctuaries that invite viewers into the beauty of the underwater world, offering relief from anxiety and a place of stillness and wonder. Her work has earned international recognition, including the Marine Artist of the Year award at the 42nd Schaeffer International Marine Art Exhibition at the Newport Sailing Museum, a Stobart Foundation grant funding an expedition to swim with and paint Humpback Whales in Tonga, an Artist-in-Residency grant from the Mystic Seaport Museum, and membership in the American Society of Marine Artists, the Society of Animal Artists, and the Oil Painters of America.