ARTIST STATEMENT

My work attempts to reconcile the shift in consciousness, self-awareness, and power that occurs during the period of “growing up.” Change is inevitable, and events that surpass our understanding due to the unexpected, unplanned, and chaotic nature of life are unavoidable. Through reflection upon these junctures in my own life, key moments stand out and are re-born into compositions as a response. The paradoxical sentiments of the views of freedom between childhood and adulthood are explored, and the work challenges the idea of encouraging imagination as we age.

Through a combination of fantasy, portraiture, and abstract imagery; the full body of work comes together similarly to a puzzle. When the work is viewed as a whole it exudes a strange sense of familiarity, inviting one in to further explore hidden pockets of space. My works are tied together by bright nostalgic colors, evidence of the maker through left-behind brushstrokes, repeated floral motifs, and the dichotomy between the painting itself and the story behind it. One cannot exist without the other.

These compositions were born out of a time where the fears of losing wonder, playfulness, and the ability to look at something ordinary with sparkling eyes were constant burdens I carried. Each painting made represents a fragment of the collapse of innocence and reminisces on moments of different emotional amplitudes that have shaped how I view the world today. Vulnerability is close to the heart of connection. Through the sharing of these paintings, my own personal visual journal, I hope to spark conversation about how our perception of self and others changes as we age.

ARTIST BIO

Neely Joyce is a graduate of Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with a concentration in painting. She mainly works in oil and does both representational and abstract compositions. Her work exhibits bold colors and unique fairytale spaces. Currently, she works as a florist and flowers are represented heavily in her work as a result. Born and raised in Manhattan, KS she currently lives Colorado where she is continuing her artistic career.