Joy Horan was raised near Salt Lake City, Utah. She joined the United States Army at the age of nineteen, where she began her journey as an artist. One of her first assignments was to paint a wall mural for her sleeping quarters during basic training- an assignment that opened the door to many others and earned her a multitude of awards throughout her ten-year enlistment. Horan became involved in Veterans Art Project through theVA Healthcare System via the David J. Drakulich Foundation, where she created her first art pieces and has subsequently had her work shown in several local art shows. Most recently, Horan applied a new mixed media approach - combining both 2D and 3D elements into a piece that won her a national title through the Veteran Administration and 5,800 entries.