It all begins with leftovers.
Recycle, up cycle, reclaim, re purpose, reuse, reanimate. Plastic, cardboard, paper, wire, foam—-all sorts of stuff goes into the structures of these Art-Official Pets©. Several coats of paper mache later plus a few more treatments and a new pet is born!
I was brought up in a household that reused lots of stuff. Creativity was encouraged. We learned to sew, to do all sorts of crafts and had access to the tools in our dad’s workshop. It was great!
Chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs, cats and other critters populated our backyard, instilling in me a great love and respect for all sorts of animals.
I’ve dappled in lots of mediums over the years and landed on paper mache and mixed media work over 30 years ago. It’s the closest I can get to working with clay and not use a kiln.
I love the challenge of building the animal’s armature and delight in seeing it come to life as I layer on the paper and textures. As for color—the more the better!
I often pair birds with cats or dogs - sometimes to represent good or bad influence or just to demonstrate that friendship can overcome differences.
My goal is capture the moments of magic that happen in every day life—real or imagined—and to add some levity to this crazy world. Hope it makes you giggle.
Joyce
The artist in her natural habitat.
You can find more of Joyce’s work for sale at the following fun spots:
Dunedin Fine Art Center Gallery Shop in Dunedin, FL
Florida CraftArt in St.Petersburg, Florida
The Artery at SHAMc (Safety Harbor Art & Music Center)
Safety Harbor, FL