Celebrating the joy of life as expressed by light and motion is the major focus of Joy's work. Capturing and embodying the feelings and energy of our inner life are more important than simply a statement of how something appears. Her intention is to touch what is universal to us all. Strong, imaginative color serves the expression of emotions and the loose painterly application of various mediums also contribute to this end.
The process begins with getting outside and observing life. Joy photographs people and animals candidly enjoying themselves in their natural environment. The photos are edited for what is most important. Photos may be combined or cropped and a small value study is used to compose the piece. For Joy this initial design of a few simple shapes can have as much impact and beauty as the finished piece. Different approaches may be taken to start the actual painting. Play and experimentation are an enjoyable part of Joy's creative process.
Charcoal is used to lightly sketch the composition on high quality white sanded pastel paper. Charcoal, watercolor or acrylic paint may be used loosely to establish the value pattern. The freeflowing and spontaneous surprises of the watercolor is an exciting part of creating the painting. Allowing the painting to happen within a certain structure and working intuitively in developing and combining color the painting evolves--taking on a life of its own.
Pastel is loosely and lightly applied over the dry underpainting--allowing the underpainting to show through and contribute to a visual vibration and richness. Sometimes a kind of soft rubber or kneaded eraser is used to move the pastel around.
Biography
Joy Schultz was born in Oak Park, Illinois in 1956. Colorado has been her home for the last 20 years. While homeschooling her two children she was able to rekindle and nurture her expression as an artist. A year of uninstructed life drawing sessions gave Joy the opportunity to develop her drawing skills, and several months of plein air painting provided a foundation of basic art principles. She has taken workshops from several of her favorite artists, but is primarily self-taught.
Joy's work has evolved from using primarily soft pastels, to using a combination of charcoal, watercolor, and pastel, allowing the unique character of each media to express in a richer fuller way than using only one media. It also encourages and inspires an attitude of playfulness and experimentation and adds excitement to the creative process.
In 2002, Joy entered her first show and sold her first painting and felt encouraged to spend the next six months building a body of work. She has since exhibited in local, state, and national shows, won numerous awards, and created many commissions, particularly of people's children and horses. In December of 2005 she had her first painting published in International Artist Magazine.
In 2005 Joy started teaching and discovered how much her artistic spirit thrived by encouraging and inspiring other artists. This past year has been a time of exploration in the versatile possibilites of acrylics and various new approaches to painting.
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