Joy was born in a small Midwestern city overlooking the mighty Mississippi River. Her adventurous spirit was encouraged by her three older brothers. Prior to becoming a full-time artist and instructor of art, Joy completed an internship supporting UNESCO (the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) in their mission to protect World Heritage sites. Her formal training includes college and post-graduate work in Wisconsin, New York and Florida. Since 2001, Joy has made her home in Fort Myers, Florida where she kayaks beside alligators and wild dolphin in the back bays and estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico.
While he was living on Captiva Island, Robert Rauschenberg told me his mission was to “ennoble the ordinary”. Our conversation inspired me to crystalize the message of my own work. My objective is to offer an aesthetic of flowing “waves of joy” in contrast to the angst of modern life. The abstract combines I create speak to all peoples. They can transcend the boundaries of race, gender, class, faith and nationality. In my recent series, my inspiration has been our worldwide need for clean water. Water is life. In the Straits (2019) incorporates a real shell to focus the viewer’s attention on our need for clean oceans. Most of the pieces in this shell series illustrate shallow tidal pools or estuaries, but In the Straits is unique in that it portrays the rapid passage though deep seas.
