We were lucky to catch up with Joyce Curvin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Joyce, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
My parents were hard workers. My dad worked long hours building a successful business in St. Petersburg and my mom was equally occupied raising us, helping with the business and volunteering in the community. They instilled that work ethic in both me and my sister. I do consider myself to be somewhat of a workaholic in that I don’t sit still for very long! I like to be out in my studio creating new pieces, working out designs and ideas. I enjoy what I do!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Art has always been a part of my life—usually as the constant hum in the background as a second job or just a desire to create for my own satisfaction. I enjoyed a successful career in visual merchandising and design, creating environments, displays and campaigns for area malls and specialty stores. All the while, I experimented in various art mediums from paper to clay and fabrics. Today my feet are firmly planted in paper mache and mixed media sculpture. In fact, just two years ago I made the decision to retire from my display business to concentrate on art—and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve been known mostly for my Art-Official Pets©—dogs, cats and birds made from paper mache. I love to capture the enthusiasm of dogs, the reserved nature of cats and the colorful personalities of birds. It’s whimsical and fun.
In 2022 I was invited by Florida CraftArt Gallery to participate in a project called Clearly Collaborative. My challenge was to combine my paper mache work with a glass piece from Master Glass artist Duncan McClellan. What a gift! I was able to complete two pieces: The Marz Roverz, featuring two dogs on a spaceship; and Searching for Sashimi, to large herons searching for dinner in a glass pond. That opportunity to collaborate was career changing for me in that it introduced me to so many more avenues for my work. It unlocked a whole new world of possibility with movement, light and materials.
My most recent work has been in reworking/upcycling old grandfather and wall clocks into new, vibrant pieces. I love creating little worlds inside those clock cases—-be it a garden scene with birds and nests or an undersea area with fish and coral. The details make it magical!
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I have several shows coming up: CoolArt Show July 22 and 23 in St. Petersburg, then Fine Art at the Magnolia August 19 & 20 in Lakeland, FL, and CraftArt Festival November 18 & 19 in St. Petersburg. In addition, in October I’ll be teaching paper mache sculpture at Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, FL. Details on those workshops are at www.dfac.org.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I experiment with and continue to learn about new artistic media. It’s amazing the ideas that develop when you are open to new things! I’ve recently tried welding-that was fun—and working with precious metal clay for jewelry—also fun! The skills I learned in both of those classes will no doubt come in handy at some point in my own work.
My studio is filled with all sorts of tools that I use in my work from a scroll saw and sander to drills, drill press, nail guns and circular saws. I love tools and think everyone should have basic skills in that area.
Networking and collaboration are key. I love sharing/trading/finding new materials and sources with other artists. I meet regularly with some artist friends to chat about our latest projects. Always incredibly rewarding!
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
For quite a few years I shared a studio with artist Jan Macfarlane. Jan was fearless! She’d try all sorts of colors, processes, materials and not worry if things went awry. I admired that quality in her and learned to embrace challenges and mistakes that are bound to happen now and again. It’s allowing myself the grace to try again.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.joycecurvinart.com
- Instagram: Joycecurvin
- Facebook: Joyce Curvin Whimsical Art
Image Credits
In the last shot of me with the two pieces: Photo courtesy of Florida CraftArt. The other photos are mine.
