HOOD RIVER — Spring inspiration is in the air, and sunny days and flowers blooming can bring out the creative side of anyone. Local artist and teacher Joy Kloman took some time to share her art journey and participation on the upcoming Gorge Artists Open Studio Tours this spring.
After Kloman’s husband Mark took a job in the Gorge 18 years ago, they moved from Florida to Oregon and never regretted it. Kloman said it has been a great place to raise her daughter and continues to serve as a creative space to focus on her art, especially as her daughter prepares to leave home.
Kloman has been in her current studio space in the Heights, neighboring 10 Speed Coffee, for nine years. She uses the downstairs area for classes and art camps while the upstairs is her private studio. “I’m so happy here, it’s wonderful. It’s my happy place,” she said.
Her painting style is typically large-scale figurative work using oil on canvas though she sometimes works with acrylic and adds elements like block print patterns and collage-style shapes. While many artists in the Gorge portray nature scenes and the beauty of the outdoors, Kloman feels her subject is rather unique: Her inspiration comes from old photographs and the shared themes they show across humanity.
By studying historic photos, Kloman noticed certain themes and commonalities across all families and cultures like weddings, family poses and occasions, and even riding bicycles. She turns those old pictures into portrait-type spaces large enough for you the viewer to occupy and recognize your worldly similarities.
Kloman likes to start many of her pieces with a fluorescent base which adds contrast and intense highlights, making the paintings glow in the dark. She explained that the color adds a fun pop and creates a juxtaposition between past and present. “Pictures go through time but our themes as humans don’t really change,” Kloman said.
Formerly a professor in the painting and drawing program at the University of Mississippi, Kloman now teaches mostly children and beginners in her classes, workshops, and camps. She also offers events like paint n’ sips and painting parties for all ages, and she thinks her use of real canvas and easel provides a unique experience.
Though she misses teaching at the university level, Kloman said what she has here in Hood River is special because she can teach any age group and her studio allows her to balance social time and solo time. “I like seeing peoples’ surprise that they can [paint], especially adults,” she said.
Kloman finds other inspiration for her paintings through travel and poetry, like Walt Whitman’s poem, “A child said, What is the grass?” which speaks to the infinite cycle of earth’s death and renewal. She even acquired some of her techniques and color inspiration from various artist residencies she has participated in across the world.
Some of the teals and greens she uses come from the architecture in Hungary and Latvia, while Kloman learned other skills from workshop exchanges in places like Sardinia, Slovenia, and Italy. Later this year she will also participate in an artist residency on Vashon Island in Washington.
Her own artist workshops usually involve color theory, watercolor, and still life. Aside from trading ideas and techniques with all kinds of artists, these residencies usually include some kind of actual art exchange and have given Kloman the opportunity to donate her paintings to museums, galleries, and cultural embassies.
“The residencies have really pushed me out of my comfort zone and brought about space for networking and gathering inspiration from other peoples’ crafts and processes,” she said.
In addition to artist residency donations, Kloman has recently had her work on display at Umpqua Valley Arts and she teaches classes at Skamania Lodge and The Dalles Art Center. Kloman also learned that she is in the running for Jackson’s Art Prize in London, an annual fine art competition with almost 13,000 entries this year.
Looking forward, Kloman is excited to participate in the Gorge Artists Open Studio Tours this spring, as she has in the past. Her multi-level studio space will be on display, as will many of her paintings. “It’s best to plot out which studios you want to go to in advance. Come to mine when you’re ready for a cup of coffee,” she said.
Stop by Joy’s Art Studio on 13th Street during the open studio tours from May 2-4 to see the spaces where she teaches and creates.
More info and maps for the event can be found online.
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