SHORT BIO
Joyce Wright was born in the depths of Louisiana bayou country. She considers her talent for painting a God-given gift, one she has worked hard to expand and enlarge upon. Some of her finest work adorns the walls in baptisteries of local churches, wall murals in homes, and commissioned paintings that have sold from California to Atlanta and from Washington throughout the Southland. Life on the bayous gave Joyce a unique perspective on the effects and qualities of light and shadow, and color was a heady palette of both muted and vibrant shades. Even asleep, Joyce dreams in full spectrum, her quiescent mind searching for balance, harmony and order. Retired from her decorating business of thirty nine years, she devotes her time to artwork exclusively. Joyce has three grown children, four grandchildren and her loving husband who supports her artistic abilities
Read on for a LONG BIO.
Joyce Wright was born in Louisiana in the depths of bayou country, where egrets fly free and gators regularly sunbathe in backyards. Neighbors can chit-chat off the docks as they crab for dinner or ‘run’ a trot-line for catfish. And the scents of frying fish, Boudain, Etouffee, Gumbo with rice, and steaming shrimp tantalize the senses.
Rain in the sweltering South is so common that the constant mist and daily showers are ignored, a damp, steamy part of life, unworthy of rain-gear, except for storms and heavy rains. As a child, new plaid rain capes and red rubber boots were as necessary as paper and pencil to start school. One of the most exciting times in her life was when it actually snowed – well, maybe mostly iced – but enough that school grades one through five let out at noon. Her mama walked to school (only one car in the family and her daddy used it to go to work) to get her and her younger sister Betty, home safely. This was the first and only snow event in her entire childhood. The girls slid-skated all the way home. The little red boots were shredded to ribbons! For the rest of the year they were careful to jump over rain puddles after loosing their red rubber boots to the rare ice storm. Light is a misty, shadowed glare that bites the eyes, while high temperatures turn the world into a humid heaven and a muddy mire. Warm rain and sun were perfect for her mother’s flower beds. Every border held a feast of color and almost every morning was spent gathering a bouquet for their teacher’s desk. Morning dew wet their shoes as mother and daughters cut from the bounty of beautiful flowers. It was here that Joyce learned to look at the world and seek harmony, a balancing of the forces of nature.
As a child in the post-depression years, when extra paper was as much a treasure as sugar and gasoline, Joyce learned that she had a talent — and that talent could bring her rewards and keep her mama from complaining about the cost of paper Joyce used in class. For each pencil drawing of a fancy lady wearing an elegant ball-gown, Joyce collected two sheets of clean paper from school friends. These friends thought the exchange well worth the ‘price’ and her Mama never bought school paper again! Joyce has always been grateful for her mama who did not smother her talent and was clever enough to teach her salesmanship and the use of her life long talent.
Joyce considers her talent for painting, a God-given gift, one she has worked hard to expand and enlarge upon. Some of her finest work adorns the walls in the baptisteries of local churches. She prefers to work primarily in acrylics, watercolor, pen-and-ink, pencil, pastels and charcoal, and she has sold works in sizes that range from small table art to wall-spanning murals. Her subject matter is as far ranging as the cityscape of Paris, France, to the backyard bayou scenes of her youth. Many of Joyce’s paintings are personalized for the buyer, with medium and palette combined for the individual. Although most paintings are commissioned, there are paintings available for purchase by the public. Some of her personal favorite paintings are available in prints and note cards. Currently, a Christmas Card is available, printed from a scene she painted for that purpose.
The homes of her three children also have mom’s paintings. For Christmas, her family likes to give of themselves. Each gift is from the giver’s talent. Painting is the gift Joyce gives very often to her children on these special occasions. Four grandchildren, aged three and one half to twenty two years – day school to college graduate, have posed for their portraits. Little Mic still has to take his turn, maybe this very summer! She calls him Mic, because since he is a Junior, there are too many Mikes or Michaels and she gets mixed up who is talking about whom! After all, she has been very close to this last grandson. She always has something funny to tell about him. He is the last grandchild her children tell her, and she has kept him often since his birth. He, along with the other grandchildren, calls her Nana.