I'm so delighted to have my work and journey featured on the Love Ohio Crafters and Artisan blog today!! Thanks so much Vicki for the fabulous job you did!
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Oh Joy…Or Should it be Ode to Joy?
My
last featured artist for 2013 is photographer, Joy St. Claire. Joy and
I met initially when we were both vendors at Daniel Colvin’s Hit’n'Run
events at CS Gallery a couple of years ago and then ran into each other
at a couple of other art/crafts shows. I fell in love with her muted
tones and her adorable dog pictures immediately! Since that time, we
have ‘talked’ on Facebook, I’ve interviewed her for another blog and met
once last winter to walk our doggies on the chipmunk trail in
Westerville.
I’m so happy for the many successes she has had with her photography and am pleased to be featuring her here on my blog.
Her business aptly describes her photographic style: Oh Joy! Photography. Every
picture that I have seen of hers conveys joy and happiness. From the
nature photos to still life and portraiture to pictures of Mags, her
photography celebrates the good in life and the beauty of all that
surrounds us on a daily basis.
Although her dream was to go into photojournalism or landscape
architecture when she was younger, she was discouraged because: “Don’t
do what you love or you won’t love it anymore.” As she sees it now this
was very bad advice as she is doing what she was meant to do all along
and is thoroughly enjoying every minute of it! To that end, she always
encourages young people to do what they love – to be tenacious and
creative enough to follow their passion.
She received her degree from Kent State University with a BS in
Criminal Justice and minors in Urban Planning and Sociology. After
graduating from college, she worked for a police department doing
intelligence work but eventually found that was not where she was
happiest, choosing to turn to more artistic endeavors and leave the old
advice behind. Hence, O Joy Photography was born!
one of her fav subjects and best buddy, Maggie, aka Mags
Joy describes her art as modern vintage style/ fine art/ home decor photography featuring nature, flowers and landscapes.
Her inspiration comes from what she calls a bit of an interactional process. As she states:
It is a connection to what I am photographing, a connection to
something larger than myself and a connection to something deep inside.
They all combine to what you see in my art! I love soft morning light,
fog, primal woods and trying to come up with a new way/view to
photograph something I have photographed many times before or a common
object (fruit for example). I try to catch myself when I say “oh, I’ve
photographed that before so I won’t do it again” and instead try to say
“How can I present it differently?”
Workshops or books about creative process also help to keep her fresh and open for new techniques and ideas.
She has also ventured into a new realm with her iPhone and the
photographic apps that are available. It has allowed her to have a
camera with her constantly, so she can always try to see the world in a
new light…different from when she had to carry around her camera and be a
bit less spontaneous. She says that is has recharged her creative
process and inspired her to shoot in new ways with my Nikon. Some of her
favorite apps are Snapseed, Pictapgo, Lo-Mob and Distressed Fx.
sky project 346.365
You can find Joy’s work at Society6, Turning Art, Caseable, Modern
Mural, The Kase, Fine Art America, Redbubble along with some pieces at
Getty Images as well as in her Etsy.com shop. Just recently, her work
was featured on Zulily, and PI Creative in Canada. Her photography was
also featured at the Golden Globes 2 years ago, both in their gift shop
and in the swag bags given to celebs.
Something tells me that her creative journey has just begun and I
am so happy that she ignored the naysayers and followed her “joy”!
Contact info for readers:
Instagram: http://instagram.com/joystclaire1
