Joy Black
Love

Artspace Member Spotlight Exhibition

August 25 - September 16, 2023
Elisabeth Flynn-Chapman Gallery

Painting

Artist Statement

I think LOVE is the most powerful energy there is. Most of these paintings began in quite a perfunctory manner about one year ago. I was painting a lot of large canvases, and I cleaned my palette between each one by wiping the remaining paint onto 18 x 18 canvases so it wouldn't be wasted. Recently, I gathered and lined them up on the wall. Could I bring them to life now? I began meditating on the power of love, and in that spirit, I tentatively made colorful marks. I softened some areas and emboldened others. I painted over some parts. Each one went through ugly stages as I focused on changing its energy. After time, and a lot of patience, each canvas began to come alive. 

Jerry Saltz, Pulitzer Prize winning senior art critic at New York magazine, wrote in his book, How to Be an Artist: “All art comes from love – love of doing something…even if we’re in agony while working, it’s still some kind of love that drives us on against the current.”

Biography:

Joy Black, an abstract artist based in Richmond, Virginia, was born in Nashville. She intuitively expresses the energies of our natural world, and the essence of her own internal energies, on stretched canvas with acrylic and mixed media. Joy earned a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, specializing in Communication Arts & Design, and enjoyed a 40-year career as graphic designer, art director, and creative manager in design studios and ad agencies.

Black is a senior instructor of the healing art of Qi Gong (Chi Kung) which has deepened her sensitivity to the various energies she paints. Her artworks frequently radiate the joy, peace and balance of those energies. 

Six years ago, Black immersed herself in painting. She has been mentored by painter, Lauren Mantecon, of Mantecon Studios, in Santa Fe, NM, since 2019, and has studied locally with Amie Oliver and Joanna Tyka. She has shown and sold her work online and in local galleries. Earlier this year, Artspace hosted her Unbounded show. In 2022, her painting, “Whirlwind” was accepted in Glave Kocen Consulting’s “Hung Juried 2.0” show, and her painting, “Nature’s Song” was juried into Arts on Main’s Annual Juried Exhibition. In 2021 a body of her work was juried into membership at Artspace Gallery. That same year, her painting, “Release” was accepted in Crossroads Art Center’s “September All-Media Show.” Additionally, Black has participated in member exhibitions at Artspace and Crossroads Art Center and displayed her works at MuseMe Décor.

Website: www.joyblackart.com
Instagram: @joyblackart
Facebook: @JoyBlackArt