Joyanna, you have a very different method of approaching a painting, can you describe that for us?
When I have a blank canvas, I feel there’s an original composition, unknown to me, intended for it. A brand new one needs to be brought to life, one I’ve never seen before; I won’t know how it looks until it’s done. I work with the painting to find it. The less control I use, the more inspired my paintings will be.
Your paintings are very colorful, can you tell us how you decide what colors you will use in a particular piece?
I love color! I spend hours observing the colors of the sea – its variety is endless. Even in a foggy grey landscape, the layers of colors are fascinating. That said, most of my paintings are jubilantly bright. I begin with a few colors I’m drawn to, perhaps inspired by a flower, photo or piece of fabric that caught my eye. I then use colors that are the opposite of those, to emphasize them, and then usually I create the negative space using white which makes all the colors really pop.
How did you decide on the subject for your main body of work?
I love flowers. Before I started painting again, I enjoyed filling my house with fresh cut flowers every week, but felt badly every time I had to throw away the dying bouquets. I do love the occasional cut flowers, but I’m finally improving my track record with potted plants, and for flowers, I have paintings everywhere now – brilliant bouquets that don’t fade and die. In my mind, as far as décor goes, there’s room for flowers everywhere. They are also a flexible subject, which encourages a vast creative freedom.
How would you describe your teaching style?
In my workshops I share my method step-by-step and encourage each participant to use those guidelines to create something completely unique to them. If they’re stuck, I try to give helpful suggestions to keep going. I want the painting they end up with to be something nobody else could have come up with. They should have a sense of ownership and accomplishment with the piece.
Do you have an artistic practice?
My artistic practice includes getting in touch with my spirit. One of my favorite ways to jumpstart this is by a walk on The Breakwater. I drink in colors, sounds and textures, take pictures, get my heart rate up and my creative juices flowing. When I’m back in the studio I turn off the part of my brain that loves being in control and reach for the colors and patterns that just feel right to me. Sometimes there’s a specific song I’ve been listening to that will influence a painting, and I’ll write words from that song right on the canvas with colored sharpies to begin my mark-making. It feels pretty lucky if a few of the words show through after the painting is complete.
How do you see yourself growing artistically in the next year?
There are so many things I want to learn, so many ideas for paintings and a wide variety of subject matter and art mediums that I would love to master. I would like to branch out to a wider variety of subjects, but keep the loose and instinctual style that I love. Architecture isn’t a normal subject for me because it requires precision, which I can do, but it isn’t as enjoyable for me because I’m concentrating on making it perfect instead of letting the painting speak for itself. There are certain things that can look however they’d like – like flowers – and other things that really do need scale measurement. Math and art occupy different parts of my brain. However, one of the artists who has influenced my creative journey, Sylvia Paul, has method for creating beautiful streetscapes using a similar method as her loose florals, incorporating collage, and I’ve been wanting to do something similar with all my favorite places here in the midcoast. I’d like to expand my repertoire.
How do you feel your Art Loft Residency will benefit you?
My Art Loft Residency has already been wonderful. Karen helped me create my website, joyannamargo.com, something I’d never done before, and I’m very happy with this step in my artistic journey. I love sharing my art and receiving feedback that confirms my motivation for sharing it – to bring light, and joy. Teaching will be a great opportunity for me to share some of my favorite processes. It’s always inspiring to see what others come up with. I know I will have a sense of accomplishment as well, because the idea of teaching has been a bit intimidating for me. A couple years ago, I said to myself “I could never do that.” But, here I am, and I’m going to do it.
