“Whimsical,” “eye-popping,” “visionary,” “exuberant,” “scintillating,” “preposterous” are all terms that have been used to describe my artwork... I have a passion for painting “found” objects…the more unique the object the better. Favorites include vintage bowling balls, thrift store shoes, a rusty chain saw, a discarded tricycle, rotary telephone or mismatched hubcaps…nothing is off limits. To call this activity “recycling” may be debatable. While rescuing objects from landfill is in tune with current environmental trends, my re-creations are never meant to be “useful” for anything else except pure visual enjoyment.
Dunsmuir Artist Penelope Joy
I often introduce myself as a"latish bloomer".......at least in the
field of art. I always felt a lifelong thirst for things creative and
I am a confessed shopaholic of art "stuff". None-the-less, early on, I
believed that only those with God given talent were true
"artists".....you know, that propaganda that artistic skills are part
of one's DNA. Artist envy flamed bright in me as a child then faded
away as I aged. I settled for paint-by-number kits, lanyard keychains,
hemp macrame, and other scripted art activities; but found myself at
midlife, accepting, not unhappily, for art as a small part of a
teaching career. Then, a brief visit to Mexico altered everything! In
the summer of 1994, I packed a small bag of cultural expectations and
returned with a trunk load of inspiration in the form of colors,
designs and dreams. One afternoon shortly after returning from Baja,
California, I slapped some grade school watercolors on a wooden car we
had built in my second grade class. Then I added lines, shapes, words
and designs with a black Sharpie pen until I was pleased with the
result. I began to search out other "things" around me to
paint......rickety folding chairs, abandoned bowling balls, chipped
plates, a defunct chainsaw.......and that's the rootage of "penelope
joy the artist." Fifteen years later the "fun" continues and much to
my amazement, other people like my "re-creations." It pleases me to
see people smile at the designs and colors that were eventually
unleashed. If the playfulness of my pieces makes you grin or giggle or
just sigh, that's good enough for me. If not, that's okay, too.
field of art. I always felt a lifelong thirst for things creative and
I am a confessed shopaholic of art "stuff". None-the-less, early on, I
believed that only those with God given talent were true
"artists".....you know, that propaganda that artistic skills are part
of one's DNA. Artist envy flamed bright in me as a child then faded
away as I aged. I settled for paint-by-number kits, lanyard keychains,
hemp macrame, and other scripted art activities; but found myself at
midlife, accepting, not unhappily, for art as a small part of a
teaching career. Then, a brief visit to Mexico altered everything! In
the summer of 1994, I packed a small bag of cultural expectations and
returned with a trunk load of inspiration in the form of colors,
designs and dreams. One afternoon shortly after returning from Baja,
California, I slapped some grade school watercolors on a wooden car we
had built in my second grade class. Then I added lines, shapes, words
and designs with a black Sharpie pen until I was pleased with the
result. I began to search out other "things" around me to
paint......rickety folding chairs, abandoned bowling balls, chipped
plates, a defunct chainsaw.......and that's the rootage of "penelope
joy the artist." Fifteen years later the "fun" continues and much to
my amazement, other people like my "re-creations." It pleases me to
see people smile at the designs and colors that were eventually
unleashed. If the playfulness of my pieces makes you grin or giggle or
just sigh, that's good enough for me. If not, that's okay, too.
Slideshow
While rescuing objects from landfill is in tune with current
environmental trends, Penelope’s re-creations are never meant to be
“useful” for anything else except pure visual enjoyment. The keystone
of her unique creations comes from a zeal for patterns and bold color
and fascination with three-dimensional imagery, much of which is
displayed here. Other artwork can be viewed at The Brown Trout Gallery
on Sacramento Avenue in Dunsmuir, California. For additional
information about Penelope Joy and artwork for purchase, or email her
below.
all contents copyright penelope joy 2011
