I chatted with Christian artist Joyce Boyer recently. Our chat went fairly quick, which I’m sure her two dogs were grateful for. They were waiting for us to finish because Joyce was going to take them for a W-A-L-K.
Despite it being a fast conversation, I learned a lot about her and where her inspiration comes from. I hope you do too. Enjoy.
[Featured Artwork: “Reaching Up” by Joyce Boyer.]
Q&A
The following responses are lightly edited for length and clarity.
01. Rock, paper, or scissors?
Scissors.
02. What are three interesting facts about you?
A. A lot of people don’t know I used to train horses for a living.
B. I’m a Christian.
C. I like to public speak.
03. Is art your career or a hobby? Something else?
Career.
04. What’s your favorite color?
Blue.
05. Creating the art is one thing, but finding clients is another. Have you cracked the business side of art?
I would say yes. I do a lot of promoting and then recently — just before COVID — we gutted the RV and it’s now my travelling studio and gallery. It is so cool. It has burlap walls so you don’t see the nail holes when you pull them out and it’s solar powered. It’s awesome.
I do try to get out and promote.
06. What app do you use most often?
I would say Facebook.
07. What is your favorite drink?
Coffee. I like it with the Starbucks caramel macchiato in it.
08. What is the main medium you use in your art?
I work with mixed media. Primarily with an acrylic base to it.
09. Where did your passion for art start?
I would have to say my mom really encouraged it when I was young because she saw something and got me in lessons. When I was about 14, I started taking lessons and I went from there.
But the passion stopped for a period of time. I had my college teacher who — I took the graphic arts — who told me I would never become an artist. So I stopped doing art for a period of three years and then I took two more years of college, but I took Western Equestrian. For a final thank you to my (equestrian) teacher, I gave him a picture of his horse and he looked at me and he said to me, “Why do you want to train horses? You should be an artist.”
I kept art on the backburner for a couple of years, but when I was training horses I developed tendonitis and they told me I would need a lot of surgery or I could try something else. So, that’s when I went back to being an artist.
10. What household chore do you actually enjoy?
Laundry. I don’t know why, but I don’t mind it at all.
11. What inspires your art?
I would have to say Creation. Painting God’s Creations is my Facebook and Instagram (handles). So, I look at Creation. It’s what inspires me the most.
12. What is your go-to band or artist?
13. What song or artist do you like but rarely admit to liking?
Nickelback.
14. Are you more productive at night or in the morning?
Morning.
15. What are you hilariously bad at?
I would say skiing. Really bad. And singing too; really not good.
16. What’s something you’ve been meaning to try but just haven’t got around to?
Encaustics. It’s a wax medium, but I just have never gotten around to it.
17. What do you hope people get out of your art?
I hope that it would evoke an emotional response and that people would look it and feel tranquility and peace and joy.
