Today we’d like to introduce you to Dusti Joyner.
Dusti, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
At a young age I knew I loved art and wanted to be an artist. I grew up in a small town in Texas that didn’t have much artwork so the things I drew and painted were things that were around me. Mostly landscapes and pictures of family. I was focused on learning to draw more and more realistically. I thought that something needed to look exactly like the subject to be a good work of art. I went on to receive my Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of North Texas and realized that realism is boring! As I learned more and more about art I started experimenting with line quality and expressive color.
This opened up a whole new world of creativity. At that time, I also learned how much I loved sharing my work and the things I learned about art with others. I realized that I loved being the “bridge” to the art world for my friends. I became a teacher to share this knowledge with others and started really focusing on pushing the envelope of realism. During this time, I taught a high school ceramics class and boy did I love it! It was so fascinating to be able to create 3D sculptures with your own hand and just an idea. For a long time, I was more focused on sharing art with others than creating my own art. When I decided to dive back into my artwork I really wanted to find a way to combine the 3D qualities of ceramics with my love of painting. That has led me on this journey of impasto painting.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Most of my recent work has been creating thick sculptural paintings with acrylics. I love the idea that as the light passes the canvas it changes each work. I use the light that reflects as a medium to create a deeper sense of depth than you can get with flat paintings. I really want my viewers to feel like they are experiencing a fleeting moment or “Souvenir of Life” as my family calls it. Life is short and you have to treasure the every second you get. Most of my works are inspired by a particular time of day or more specifically, how it feels at a certain time of day. What does an early morning cup of coffee look like in a floral painting? Is it big smooth brushstrokes with a muted color palette just as you are waking up? Or is it short deep strokes with bold colors on a busy morning? And how does weather play a part in that? You could walk into a field of flowers a hundred times and each time it could look different. I want to capture that in my paintings.
I also do a lot of portrait work. This is a big contrast to my sculptural paintings. More than a likeness of the person, I really try to capture their spirit. I want you to feel their personality coming through. One of the ways I do that is by using bright colors. I layer and layer the colors until they blend to create the feeling of life that I’m going for.
The sterotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
My advice is to just do a little every day and don’t stop. I have recently jumped in to this being my only job and boy is it scary! I have been rejected from shows and sometimes the art that I love doesn’t sell. It can make you question everything you are doing. One of the things that I do when I get that feeling is to look for new opportunities. When I first start I am usually in the “I can’t do this” mode, but by then end I am encouraged about new possibilities. It helps me not to dwell on things that didn’t go right and to create new ideas. This has led to new sales and commissions. So… just keep working.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
While I do participate in some shows in the Houston area, the best way to see my work is on my website at www.dustijoyner.com or on my Instagram and Facebook pages.
Instagram: @dustijoyner
Facebook: Dusti Joyner Fine Art
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dustijoyner.com
- Email: dusti.joyner@gmail.com
- Instagram: @dustijoyner
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dustijoynerfineart/
Image Credit:
Dusti Joyner
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