- Words by Don Descouteau Photography by Lia Crowe

Upon entering mixed-media artist Joyce Bantock91裸聊视频檚 backyard studio gallery in Fairfield, one is struck by how neat and tidy the room appears.

A closer look reveals innumerable paper items, from dismantled books to folded or cut-up bits and pieces. These are the raw materials of her work, the 91裸聊视频減aper ephemera,91裸聊视频� as she calls it, that always make their way into her pieces, many of which hang on the walls around her workspace.

These items provide the three-dimensional and often antiqued depth she uses to create more weight and substance and encourage the viewer into a quiet, meditative observation.

To create her art, Joyce folds, rolls, trims and sculpts various types of paper, assembling the pieces to create interesting and intriguing designs. To the onlooker, some elements in her works may resemble other things. When viewed from a few feet away, one piece framed by a reclaimed wooden partitioned box gives the impression the artist has stocked the sections with tiny colourful clamshells, when in fact they are intricately folded strips of paper.

In the 13 or so years since she devoted her talents full time to creating fine art, Joyce has regularly integrated found items into her works.

91裸聊视频淚t was just things that I91裸聊视频檓 drawn to, the old letters, the script91裸聊视频攖he handwriting is beautiful,91裸聊视频� she says.

Over the years she has collected many such items during trips abroad and on visits to antique stores or paper shows.

91裸聊视频淚t feels different, it has a lovely quality to it,91裸聊视频� she says of older paper styles. 91裸聊视频淚 can mould them; I can manipulate them more easily than current papers. There can be a kind of onionskin-like transparency to them, they91裸聊视频檙e much more porous. But I also like the old papers because they91裸聊视频檙e marked and they91裸聊视频檙e aged, they just have that interest. In some cases, the handwriting has almost gone kind of oily, you can see the mark and then you can see kind of a smudginess to it.91裸聊视频�

She reaches for an example: an old document that, when folded, left a subtle line that could provide an 91裸聊视频渁ged and grubby91裸聊视频� look to enhance the overall design of a piece. She uses rusty metal to mark paper in a similar way.

One might wonder how Joyce keeps track of all these potential elements, especially after she reveals hundreds more tiny items inside a set of drawers. Conscious of her studio91裸聊视频檚 limited space, she says, she must be organized enough to know exactly where to find a particular element that might suit one of her works.

That said, she is always on the lookout for interesting items. She delights in finding ornately covered old volumes being discarded by bookstores, eager to discover the potential goldmine of material to be reused in her art.

91裸聊视频淚 just gently pull them apart, depending on what the book is going to allow me to do.91裸聊视频�

That process yields coloured threads, small leather pieces and other useful bits.

91裸聊视频淚 have boxes full of old papers, and the tiniest little scraps I seem to save. Nothing gets thrown away. Sometimes I think maybe that91裸聊视频檚 a sign of hoarding,91裸聊视频� she says with a grin, 91裸聊视频渂ut I reassure myself that I will look in that box and use it.91裸聊视频�

Joyce has a willing co-collector in her searches for potentially useful paper items: her husband Nick Bantock, the best-selling author of the Griffin and Sabine series and an artist as well.

91裸聊视频淗e91裸聊视频檚 a big collector; he used old envelopes in his Griffin series, so he had a file folder of old letters and things,91裸聊视频� she says.

Leaving commonplace items or images out of her pieces is something Joyce does purposely to encourage the viewer to contemplate what they are actually seeing.

91裸聊视频淸Left in] it makes the viewer91裸聊视频檚 eye go directly to the object or the thing they can recognize, and then I think that kind of takes the mystery out of it. It detracts from the overall feel of the piece.91裸聊视频�

A similar belief stops her from using bright colours in her work91裸聊视频攎ore muted tones are the norm. Her studio/gallery itself, from the art hanging on the walls to the decor, is devoid of any vivid displays of colour. As such, upon entering one almost immediately feels calmer, a common sentiment among visitors, who gain a sense of stillness, she says.

91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 nothing loud and jarring or anything, so it91裸聊视频檚 all very quiet, very soft91裸聊视频�you can breathe.91裸聊视频�

Summarizing comments made during home studio tours in which she occasionally participates, Joyce says people notice a difference after viewing the often colourful palettes of other artists.

91裸聊视频淭hey come in here and they have not seen anything like this,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淭he comments in my guest book time and time again say, 91裸聊视频業t91裸聊视频檚 just a beautiful space, calming and (promotes) a quiet stilling of the mind, I enjoyed being in here.91裸聊视频� It does it for me, but it91裸聊视频檚 lovely to know that it can also do that for others.91裸聊视频�

Having escaped the stressful, deadline-oriented commercial textile design industry over 15 years ago, Joyce relishes this atmosphere for art-making. No longer is she churning out finished designs on someone else91裸聊视频檚 timeline. Her pieces take as long as they take to be completed, she says.

91裸聊视频淭o me this is a slow process, it91裸聊视频檚 meditative, it91裸聊视频檚 calming.91裸聊视频�

Not only is Joyce practising reuse and recycle in her work, her peaceful surroundings and more relaxed art-making process are helping to maintain a sustainable career.

Examples of her work can be found online at . To arrange for a viewing, email her at joycebantock@gmail.com.

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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