Annie Joly

Most of the works here were created using a dry brush technique, where most of the water is pressed out of the brush leaving a concentrated pigment. I work from dark to light while layering colors. Usually I work in a spontaneous manner. However, occasionally I work from a tiny sketch which morphs into a final painting. I prefer to work on paper or wood as the toothy surface of canvas I find a struggle. However, some of my favorite paintings have been created on canvas. Sometimes a struggle is worth it!

Working in colored pencil requires patience. I love the way a good soft pencil takes to paper. But you must go very slowly. I generally use Prismacolor or Derwent pencils. The drawings here were unplanned. Starting with a simple line and going from there is often scary, but connecting and seeing what comes forth from my subconscious with such a simple tool is always worth it. Knowing where to stop is key. Breathe and walk away for awhile!

Applying colored paint and working over in ink often reveals hidden gems. The surprise element keeps me going; flowing figures, fish and parts of dream states appear. A sudden urge to express a feeling of sadness or joy illustrates itself as if by magic if I can step aside, let go and not direct the result. What is the painting trying to say to me?

Whether choosing to work on the iPad or computer, digital media has endless possibilities for exploration. Painting on the iPad is much like canvas or paper but gives me the flexibility to go back in time to an earlier state of the painting. I prefer to use my finger to paint on the iPad rather than using a stylus. The iPad paintings here were created with an application called Brushes.

The use of found objects combined with painting in Photoshop excites me, as does the crispness of simply drawing in Adobe Illustrator with a Wacom pad.

The decision to mix mediums often just happens. It’s a feeling of the picture saying “I need more”. The richness of layering paint, type, paper and letting go of any preconceived notion of how it has to look leads one down a road of discovery. Connecting to yourself through materials; the smell, the touch, the color. Whether you are expressing joy or sadness, what could be more fun?

Watercolor crayons are one of my favorite mediums. Working with them is quick and luscious, like drawing with lipstick then applying water with a brush to make it into paint. I mostly use Caran D’Ache Neocolor II or Staedtler crayons on high quality watercolor paper.

The works here were created in a stream of consciousness manner; a flow state where one line connects to the next and the next without thought as to how the overall image will end up. A color here, another color there. They are illustrations of my anxious states and longings, being worked out in my psyche. Art as therapy.

The images entitled Dreamscape, Why Me and In Between began with a small sketch which I then enlarged and transferred to tracing paper. The chosen colored paper was then placed underneath and cut with an X-Acto knife, then airbrushed or sponge painted to create light and dark shadows before applying to a backing. I used wall paper paste for the glue since it is archival.

The cat series pieces were unplanned. Having loved and lost several cats in my life over the years, I’m attuned to their amazing diverse personalities. Tearing pieces of paper from magazines and applying to a backing while having the face slowly appear is much like brining a new personality to life.

Painting with oil sticks are much like using water soluble crayons but on a much larger scale. The sticks are big and clunky, enabling vast areas to be covered more quickly. I used Shiva sticks on Strathmore drawing paper for most of these works. The sticks can be used with turpentine to loosen them up for use with a paint brush.

These pieces were unplanned and created shortly after the sudden death of my mother. They helped greatly in the grieving process, and while they are dark in content, they were of great comfort to me at the time. Their powerful imagery was a direct connection to my inner grief and struggle and in a strange way became my best friends and a path to recovery.

Monoprint means one. These works were created using a Gelli plate along with various tools including a brayer, toothy comb and other objects that can be pressed into the Gelli plate before transferring to a good quality paper. The type of paint I used was water soluble oil, which has a luscious consistency and works far better than acrylic and also cleans up with water. My favorite brand is Cobra. Several of the pieces here were collaged from other prints that I would have discarded. No printing press was involved.

Working with felt is much like collaging with cotton candy. The feel of the wool combined with choosing the colors make for an irresistible experience. It can be a very wet, time consuming technique. However, the results are always unexpected and worth the effort if you have the patience.

Adding other materials to a felt piece such as beads, silk fabric and various types of threads add to the textural beauty. But for me it’s about the flow of the process through the creation that feels so good with felt. Think of it as meditation with wool.

Occasionally my sketches are the beginning of a larger work, but some of them stay small and don’t turn into anything else. They are visual expressions of feelings or parts of dreams, or created simply because of an urge to make something, anything! Sketching can be very helpful to gain momentum (like taking baby steps) after not creating anything for awhile.

I like to not hold these too dear or judge the quality. Judging the work can mess up the process of just letting loose. The key is connecting to the part of one’s self that you didn’t know was sitting right beside you all along.

Tempera paint is a no fuss, low cost material to work with. Painting with tempera always brings back memories of childhood art classes. I completed Red Dog, The Spoiled Picnic and Spirit Released while at a painting retreat at Esalen Institute in California. They are part of a larger series.

These works were my first early attempts at painting purely for process without any result in mind. I was astonished at what appeared. I view these as illustrations of my sub conscious fears, which oddly came to fruition when my mother sadly took her life several months after completing these. A precognition?