“Art and the making of art has been an important part of my life since I was a child. Growing up in my Grandmother and Mother’s gardens full of texture, pattern, form, color, light, mystery and abounding with the sounds of water, wind, and life, was the beginning of an aesthetic appreciation that has never been lost. Attempting to capture the visual and non-visual insight has led to writing, drawing, painting, mixed media, and most recently clay~a most incredibly wonderful malleable medium! I enjoy the process of handbuilding~seeking knowledge and applying the knowledge, the planning and decision making, and the risk taking involved despite its often tedious, methodical, and repetitive nature. Handbuilding allows me to utilize those learned insights and gained knowledge into the creative process producing vessels, masks, and sculptural pieces suitable to woodfiring. Although sometimes the mundane and the little quirks of life interrupt my artwork, my goals remain the same~to continue learning, improve technical skills, and creatively express ideas.”

Joyce is currently an Education Supervisor at Creighton University, continues to work in art education, and assist in the newly formed Nebraska Visual Arts Competition and Exhibition for grades 7-12. She belongs to the National Art Education Assoc., NE Art Teachers Assoc., UNO Friends of Art, and, of course, Omaha Clay Works. She has shown work with the Teacher/Artist/Artist/Teacher exhibits, the Omaha Public Schools, Love’s Jazz and Art Center, OCW Gallery, and Louisville Gallery. She is the 2006 recipient of the Nebraska Art Teachers Assoc. Roscoe Shields Award for continuing work with art education.