Artist statement
Everywhere I travel I find myself being imbued with a fascination for the birds and flora of that area. I find that it is the flora and avifauna (birds) that seem to colour my experience of a region and give me a new sense of place.
These recent paintings are stories about the places I’ve explored. Some of the stories are real experiences, some are scientifically factual, others are anecdotes I learned along the way, and some are whispers given to me in that quiet moment when I found myself alone and all I could hear was a beautiful song.
As the personalities and spirit of the birds emerged from the canvas some words soon followed. The use of words for me was like adding another colour or shape to the canvas. Some of the words came from the reading I do of field guides, the poetry of Rumi and inspiration from poet, Mary Oliver. Words like images lead the eye and guide the soul.
One art critic described Joie’s work as: “Full of character, captivating, and life-expressive. Joie’s work provides a visual journey across the world on the wings of a bird. These paintings are infinitely more vibrant, though, than simple pictures of flora and fauna. Each piece captures the essence of ultimate freedom -a bird in flight- and the pristine beauty inherent in the petals of nature’s ultimate vision of love: the flower. Free and fragrant these paintings are imbued with all the emotion and awe of nature, as seen through the eyes of an artist that truly appreciates her surroundings.”
Biography
BORN: Minnesota, USA
26 January 1969
EDUCATION: Minneapolis College of Art & Design, Minnesota, USA B.F.A. Painting, 1987-1991
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2012 The Jewellery Gallery on Hay, Perth, WA "Current Work"
2011 The Studio Gallery, Yallingup, WA "Second Nature"
2009 Gadfly Gallery, Perth, WA, Western Australia “The Turning of the New Leaf”
2008 Mariposa Gallery, Albuquerque, NM “Migration”
2007 Arthaus66, Albuquerque, NM "Sacred Lotus Gardens"
2006 Mariposa Gallery, Albuquerque, NM “The Secret Life of Birds”
2005 Mariposa Gallery, Albuquerque, NM "The Birds & Flowers of the U.S.A."
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
2012 Newman College, Perth, WA
2011 The Studio Gallery, Yallingup, WA "Christmas Exhibition -12 Studio Artists"
2011 The Moore's Building Fremantle "Seasons" (Interactive Arts exhibition)
2010 Hale School, Perth, WA
2009 Arthaus66, Albuquerque, NM “Transformations” (Australian Artists)
2004 Minnesota History Center, St. Paul, MN "The Art of Fine Craft"
2001-2004 Mariposa Gallery, Albuquerque, NM "Annual Theme Shows" by invitation
2000 Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI "Guided by Fragments"
2000 The Art Center at Fuller Lodge, Los Alamos, NM "The High Art of Craft"
2000 Harwood Art Museum, Albuquerque, NM "Celebrate 2000"
