artist’s statement
The intense contrast of light and dark and the shapes I see in nature are what fascinate me most in the landscapes I choose to paint. As I drive down the roads of Cape Cod, I see many scenes that inspire me, including the roads themselves. If possible, I immediately pull over and take a photo. After all, the light will never be the same if I come back later. If I can’t stop, I try to return at the same time on another day in an effort to capture similar light. Back in my studio, I work from these photos, memory, and sketches and notes made on location. I also paint plein air whenever possible.
Although my paintings are representational, I don’t consider myself a realist. I never try to render every detail in a scene but prefer to include only what I consider the most important elements... to capture what you might “see” in your memory or in a dream. Often the painting is truly only about one element...a strip of light that I find pleasing or a small area in mysterious shadow. Everything else is secondary.
My favorite artists include Milton Avery, Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, Georgia O’Keefe, Edward Munch, Matisse and Edward Hopper.
artist’s biography
Joyce Groemmer is an artist whose current work focuses on landscapes in the medium of soft pastel. Although representational, her paintings tend toward the abstract with a focus on the relationship between shapes and extreme values. After graduating from Bates College with a B.A. in Fine Art in 1980, Joyce was accepted to, and attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture’s eight week summer session. During these student years, her medium of choice was oil paint.
After Skowhegan, Joyce’s painting was put on the back burner as she established her career in marketing, advertising and public relations on Cape Cod. A pastel class with Rosalie Nadeau in 2002 was the stimulus she needed to renew her commitment to painting... but now with the pure pigment of pastels rather than oil paint.
Joyce is a member of the Pastel Painters of Cape Cod and serves on the PPSCC board as Corresponding Secretary. She is also a juried artist member of the Cape Cod Art Association. Joyce resides in Marstons Mills.
artist’s resumé
Juried Exhibitions
Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod, “For Pastels Only” October 2011
Cape Cod Art Association, "All Cape Cod", May 2011
Cape Cod Art Association, "All Cape Cod 2010", May 2010
Cape Cod Art Association, “In Like A Lion” February 2010
Cape Cod Art Association, “All New England Exhibit” September 2009
Award: Honorable Mention, Pastels for “Beautiful Day”
Falmouth Artists Guild, “Fall Juried Show-All Media” September 2008
Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod, “For Pastels Only” August 2008
Group and Solo Shows
"Shapes & Light", Nirvana, March 2011
Group show with digital artist, Barbara Braman
"Cape Lands", Momo's, October 2011
Solo show
Workshops Attended
Using Photographic References, Jean Hirons, March 2011
The Color Green, Deborah Quinn-Munson, April 2011
SmART Business, Liz Haywood-Sullivan, January 2010
Simplifying the Landscape for Stronger Paintings, Carolyn Caldwell, January 2008
Color Critique, Jane Lincoln, May 2007
Pastel Painting, Rosalie Nadeau, October 2002
Pastel Painting, Rosalie Nadeau, July 2002
Education
B.A. Fine Art, Bates College 1980
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Summer 1980
Affiliations
Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod
Cape Cod Art Association, Juried Artist Member, Fine Art