Joyce Klassen

Artist' artwork/info

Joyce Klassen's Bio:

Although she has no "formal" training, Joyce Klassen has been actively involved in various aspects of the arts fro many years. She has appeared in numerous community theater productions in three states and has had a number of written articles published. She is now most actively pursuing the visual arts.

Working first in watercolor, she then discovered the art of making her own paper and using it to make creative collage pieces. When making her own paper became more labor intensive than fun, she discovered the joy of purchasing handmade paper. Soon she learned that by incorporating 'found' objects in her collage work. a whole new avenue of expression was open to her.

She loves to search through flea markets, garage sales, and thrift stores for interesting items to include in her art work. Once she found a valuable antique stick pin watch at a thrift store for less than a dollar. All these things are sorted and stored in see-thru boxes in her studio. Sometimes the boxes are gone through many times to find that perfect object for a certain collage. She recalls that one of her favorite 'gifts' was a small basket filled with 'treasures' from a friend's junk drawer.

Her husband says he is almost afraid to lay any object down anymore for fear that the next time he sees it, it will be hidden and completely un-retrievable in a collage piece.

Until recently, every collage was a one-of-a-kind original and most still are. However, Joyce as now discovered how to create a 'motherboard' from which only three reproductions will be made for that piece. Even then, every print will be slightly different for each other. Collage is still highly labor intensive, but so rewarding