Joyce Brown

I drew on the walls and on the floor and on my body when I was a child.  Whenever there was an implement of design in my hands I used it to adorn anything within reach. My father gave me a wooden box filled with oil paints and I copied his copies of Covarrubias, Picasso, Renoir and Degas that hung on my parents’ walls. As I grew older I was never without a sketch book, drawing all of the folks around me. All of life encompasses artistic expression. When I could not sculpt, make prints, paint or draw, I created businesses and organizations. When Peace and Social Justice Issues took precedence over daily art creations, I marched and marched, making buttons and posters to enhance the efforts of the movement. When teaching children and adults I saw the lessons as the creation of art on my part, allowing the creation of art on theirs. When working among the Amish I cut scraps of cloth making my own quilt patterns and designs inspired by theirs. When producing concerts and working with musical artists, I learned the art of making “records”. I was a member of The Germantown Pottery Guild in Philadelphia for over 35 years. From the guild members I learned that through cooperative efforts and constructive discussion, not to mention a lot of effort and social conscience, we could sustain a group and create endless acts of art and artistic expression.