Harkening to the Past 2018
Picture
Harkening to the Past, 2018, oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches
"I had no choice. One painting led to another. Subject matter and design were apparent, unavoidable and immediate.
 
The palette is darker in this work, somber. The icons – crow, table, chair, family, lamp, the pirogue crossing to the other side, the art on the walls – are personal yet reflective of everyone’s life. The illustrated moments – a walk with the grand-daughter, the appearance of an omen, the poses of those gathered for the family photo, the announcement at table – are mine and yours. As is the magic and profundity of every life lived."
"LOVE TO PAINT," a film by Marcia Ward. Interviewed in her studio, Coco shares her thoughts on color and composition and technique, as well as musing upon the nuances and complexity of her creative process. The film also presents the paintings from her 2016 exhibition, MAKE IT SQUARE, at Spark Gallery in Denver.
The Joy That Surpasses Understanding 2017
"Color is my love and I use it to make art that shares my sense of joy . . . the joy that surpasses understanding; the joy that provides balance in the presence of grace or trouble; the joy that accompanies the satisfactions that come with being loved, of loving; the joy that overcomes intrusions. The waters of the life we travel not only move forward and downhill; they eddy, they wave, they surge, they revisit, they encroach, they blend, they fall; likewise, my approach to art and technique. This group of paintings began with large abstracts and evolved to reflect memories. A pond, the house, a boat, the figure, an intrusive band of color, these personal icons of the past and present cohabit with and emerge from the abstract world I paint. I hope you feel my joy."
Make it Square 2016
Interruptions 2014
JOYCE COCO

"The creative process has a mind of its own. I am only the hand holding the brush." - Joyce Coco

“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands a the cradle of true art and true science; whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed.” -Albert Einstein


It has been a fruitful twenty years of painting since Joyce Coco graduated from the Fine Arts program at the University of Denver, Cum Laude, in 1986.  Her work has been displayed at many of the top galleries in Colorado, Oregon, Arizona, and as far as Mexico. She has had many one-woman, group and invitational shows throughout the West. Many of the collectors of her work return again and again to collect her newest painting series.

Working with personal symbolism, Coco’s gift for layering color onto the canvas always delights the eye. It is perhaps a reflection of the layers of her life that she brings forth into her paintings. Growing up in Texas, Coco was ever observant of the references and relationships, the environment and experiences around her. These “moments of perfection” found expression on the canvas not by technique and training, but by a stubborn attempt to leave all the training and intellect behind. Her desire to find a solution through art is evident in her work, some of it haunting and some of it full of joy, all told through color and lights.

Extensive travel feeds Coco’s paintings in both reference objects and color combinations. The palette deepens and matures with each adventure, burnishing the choices she makes with her brush and palette knife. She believes that these experiences become transmitted through her painting.  As she paints she communicates with those very moments of perfection in order to taste her life more fully. It is as if the thin line between her life and her art is erased as she works.

www.joycecoco.com