Drawings and Mixed Media

from A Creative Journey - Selected Artworks by Joyce Hyam. Editor: Vivien Harris 2014

Alice in Wonderland Series

As with most artists, the ability to draw is critical to creating noteworthy art. During her art studies, drawing was viewed by her teachers as the most important subject, and by Joyce as well. This instruction taught Joyce skills that she has developed over her life as an artist, and that she used in all her artworks, no matter what the medium. Joyce produced many hundreds of drawings in pencils, charcoal, pen and ink, and pastels, and several of her drawings are included in this book. In Unconcerned; Art Class 1; Art Class 2; Hills are Alive, and Through a Looking Glass she used ink as the drawing medium, with watercolour complimenting the subject matter.

In Whispering Wood, and Before the Rain, pastel is the medium of choice, giving these works both softness and vibrancy. Her bold, yet minimalist works Reclining Man, Disagreement, and Contemplation, illustrate how strong black lines can convey the essence of human emotional and physical states.

In her printmaking years, drawing was also pivotal to her artmaking – she drew on etching plates, and drew designs to produce her lithographs; she drew on sheets of glass covered with printing ink to produce mono prints. One sees that her drawing skills are perhaps best realised and illustrated in her textile art, where she uses free-form machine stitchery to draw. The detail achieved in the nudes in the textile artwork Mystique, is a wonderful example of how Joyce drew skillfully and artistically with thread, using a sewing machine rather than a pencil, ink, or any of the conventional drawing materials.

Let me Touch

1999

28cm x 17cm

Mixed media, collage, mono print