Resident Artist - Philippa Joyce
Philippa Joyce
Originally from Bristol U.K, Philippa Joyce immigrated to Sydney in the 1960s, moved to Canada in the 1970s and returned to call Sydney her home in the 1980s.
After a career spanning four decades as a retail stylist in London, Ottawa and Sydney, exhibitions now come as second nature to Philippa.
Her unique paintings have been exhibited regularly at the 'One + 2 Gallery', 'Papaya Studio', 'Art Sydney', 'Artworks' and 'May Street Gallery'. Private viewings are afforded at her studio in St Peters where her most recent paintings are hung.
Distilled and immaculate, Philippa Joyce's canvasses are the result of the artist's constant search for pure statements.
By paring back all that is extraneous and eliminating all that is unnecessary, she embarks on a process of experimentation with raw forms of abstraction.
Philippa constructs her paintings by exposing the inherent sculptural qualities of her materials. In this process she features the materials up front, as she focuses on their surfaces within the simplicity of her design.
Typically Philippa may apply layers of canvas to a plain background by stacking, folding, tearing, fringing or cutting, before applying coats of surface paint. Alternatively she may introduce various materials with a strong texture that cast shadows onto the flat background, raising questions of what is hidden in the spaces between.
A suffusion of creams, taupes and white acrylic paint is layered over Philippa's graphic surfaces. These subtle matt finishes are calm and clean, often affecting the viewer with a sense of comfort and peace.
In her work Philippa realizes a strong intensity that transports one to a new world of beauty.
