John JOY
Artist's Statement
John Joy is one of Toronto's, if not Canada's, most recognizable painters. A noted and well respected Plein Air painter, John's philosophy is; "to be a true artist, one must experience the changes in atmosphere, temperature, color and mood of the outdoors, which describes, Plein Air." This method is the most challenging to paint, as the subject matters changes within minutes.
About John Joy
John was born in Toronto in 1925 and studied art under the tutelage of Carl Schafer and the renowned Doris McCarthy.
He is a founding member of the Society of Canadian Artists. John is an active member of the Arts and Letters Club in Toronto and has exhibited with the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour.
Joy paints entirely on location. He does not sketch or photograph his subject matter. His on-the-spot renditions enable him to capture the mood of the moment. He feels that any artist worth his grain of salt must practice drawing and sketching as well as painting.
John is known for his tremendous sense of colour that brings life to his watercolours. By varying the lighting source on his paintings, it is possible to experience the subtle changes in light and shadows that occur throughout the day.
Throughout his career, John has distinguished himself for his vibrant watercolours. Depicting the landscape of Canada, he has recorded for history, those fleeting moments of the wonderful mills and barns that have since mostly vanished.
His love of his work is unending, He has painted for over fifty years and has never laid down his brush, with the thought of not painting ... everyday.
His close friends are mostly painters and artists of all medium and it is a delight to listen to his stories of "the old days". He knew the best, amongst them Tom Roberts, Tom Chatfield and Franklin Arbuckle.
The row houses, cramped dwellings of Beverly, Markham, Augusta streets and Wales Ave., Kensington Market with the garages and backyards, all held fascination for John's imagination. and he soon became famous for his interesting little paintings of Toronto's heart of the city.
John recently returned from a trip to the Arctic where he, along with a small group of Plein Air artists, spent weeks under the captivating spell of the Arctic beauty. He did marvelous work, both watercolour and acrylic landscapes of the vastness surrounding him. This was John's second trip to the High Arctic. John has painted in every province in Canada, his favorite; Newfoundland where he has traveled fifteen times.
John has had numerous successful shows and his original watercolours are in many important corporate and private collections throughout Canada.
John Joy has been married to his bride Elsa for fifty eight years.
Copyright 2012: Art Of The Matter. Aurora Art. All rights reserved.
40-2 Orchard Hts. Blvd. Aurora, Ontario, Canada L4G 3W3
905-727-8228 | info@artofthematter.ca
