JoAnn Butts grew up on a farm in Elliott County, Kentucky, and began whittling as a young girl, making bows and arrows and whistles to play with. After living in Ohio for a time, JoAnn moved back to Elliott County in 1999. Having always loved folk art and animals, she paired those two loves and began to paint and carve professionally in 2000. Originally, JoAnn handcarved all aspects of her folkart animals; however, she now uses a band saw, router and sander, reserving her handcarving for the beaks and legs of some of her creations. Recently, JoAnn was commissioned to paint murals on local barns. Although JoAnn occasionally exhibits her works of art at local craft shows and festivals, she primarily sells her colorful folk art to museums. She is the exclusive folk art artist for the Huntington, W.V. Art Museum. JoAnn and her husband have one son and are avid gardeners.