Becky Joy
I can’t do any better in introducing Becky Joy than quoting her about page:
Becky Joy is best known for her vibrant landscapes that so accurately capture glowing light and shadow. Her paintings burst with abundant colors and powerful, thick textures.
Vibrant is definitely the word that comes to mind when one views Becky’s work. Her paintings convey emotion and excitement equalled by few painters. I had some questions I really wanted to ask Becky, and here are her answers:
Why do you paint?
Drawing is something that I have always done all my life. My dad and I used to draw together all the time. Painting was just a natural progression from the drawing. I attended my first oil painting class when I was 12 years old. Its the only job that I ever wanted to do, but it was not the “practical” thing to do. So I put it on the back burner off and on most of my life and never took it seriously until after I moved to Arizona from the Northwest in 1993. After living here a while, I started to meet artists and realized that it was possible to make a living and a good living. In about 2000 I started to attend workshops at Scottsdale Artists School. Painting is something that I just feel compelled to do. It’s a lot of who I am.
Mountain Green
Do you paint most of your works wet-in-wet, in one sitting?
Most of my paintings are done in one sitting wet-in-wet. I’m a plein air painter, but also work in the studio. My larger paintings are painted in the studio. When I finish for the day, I make sure that I have no hard edges where I will be working the next day. Then I continue painting wet-in-wet.
Has your philosopher or technique changed in art since you began painting? If so, in what way(s)?
My painting has continually evolved. Like a lot of artists I started out painting very tight renderings, but have loosened up over the years and my colors have become more vibrant. I also use more paint. I like brushstrokes and some texture. I try to achieve variety in every way in the painting including texture, thin and thick. Recently I have started to use my palette knife more and I’m having a lot of fun with that.
Tulips and Lemons
What is the best way for an artists to market their work in 2010? Has anything changed from the way you used to market it?
I’m not what is the best way right now. I think you have to be seen in multiple places. They all seem to overlap. A lot of people are looking at the internet now, including gallery owners. But I still think that the brick and mortar galleries are important. I like to paint larger works and they seem to be sold easier when a client sees them in person. I was looking at the internet as a way of self promotion and it is doing that, but I also have built up sales off my website and workshops.
I used to do outdoor shows and the Celebration of Fine Art for several years, but I quit doing the Celebration a year ago. I found that I was becoming complacent about my art and not going in the direction that I had wanted to go. I had never entered any national competitions or worked on building relationships with galleries. So, for the last 18 months I have worked on my art, successfully entered several national shows, have had a magazine article and gained a gallery. I intend to start building the galleries and continue entering shows and competitions.
Laundry Day
I paint almost daily. It is very easy for me to spend all my time painting, so to have a balanced life. I do try to tear myself away from painting. I treat my painting like a job and paint about 20 to 25 hours a week and 15 to 20 hours with business.
For hobbyists thinking about becoming professional artists, what’s your advice? How can they get better and start marketing?
I think the daily painting is a very good venue for improving your work. If you look back at the work of some of the top daily painters, you can see a rapid evolvement in their work. If you paint small, you will come across more problems than painting fewer large paintings. Each painting or problem you solve helps you to grow.
I also believe that workshops are a valuable tool for growth. At different times in your development of your painting, you will be searching to solve different problems in your work. Each instructor has strengths to learn from.
Hollyhock Flower Garden
I do teach workshops. I have been teaching a workshop in Prescott for about four years and enjoy it immensely. I have taught a few others here and there. I have one planned in OR coming up in Sept when I will be visiting family there. I have had several people contacting me about teaching workshops in Atlanta, Pasadena, Arkansas and a couple here in Arizona that I’m trying to work out right now. I also intend to start some online workshops in the fall.
Like most prudent artists living in a Web 2.0 era, Becky is an active social media participant. She has a great blog at BeckyJoyArtist.blogspot.com where she shares her work. Her twitter is @BeckyJoyArtist, and here’s her Facebook.
I’m happy to announce that Becky Joy is a registered writer for ArtistsDiscuss, and we look forward to seeing future posts from her!
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