Joy A. McGugan

My work consists of magnified close-ups of everyday objects. The subject matter is simple yet embellished with expressive lines, color and textures.  I take great pleasure in pushing paint around a canvas and working vigorous brushstrokes into a composition.  It is my hope that the viewer will relish the truthfulness of the strokes as well as the subject matter.

     Several artists have influenced my work, including Alice Neel, Wayne Thiebaud and Raimonds Staprans.  Alice Neel is best known for her many portraits, but it is her still lifes and landscapes that I am drawn to.  The simplicity of her arrangement of items and the monochromatic application of the side of a building are powerful statements.  She is also an influence because she persevered through periods of unpopularity until coming into her own in 1970s (got to check date).

Wayne Thiebauds use of color, especially in the cast shadows of his objects, has had an impact upon my work.  His depiction of objects with lines, color and flat shapes is appealing to me, although it is imperative for me not to mimic his work.   Raimonds Staprans is another artist from the San Francisco area who uses broad applications of color and expressive outlines.  His subject matter ranges from expansive landscapes to simple chairs shown in unusual colors.

            My subject matter is usually derived from everyday objects and architectural elements of my home.  Certain items have a personal attachment while others have little sentimental value.  I want to show these ordinary objects in new ways.  In some compositions, I zoom in on the subject matter, leaving parts unseen, such as the tops of glass stirrers.  In other circumstances, I might change the texture or colors of objects.  Occasionally, a work is about relationships between the objects, such as the intermingling contours of a group of pears.  In other applications, the work is about contrasts, as seen in the organic shapes of a garden plant against the diagonal lines of a houses clapboards.