Peace In the Desert

Artist

Joyce Ford

Artist bio

Born and raised in NY City, I started my art along side of my Mom. I have always had a strong desire to paint, create, and visualize what I find interesting and appealing to my eye. After a career that included work at ad agencies, a photography lab, and as a certified Marketing Director and Regional General Manager in the shopping center industry, I retired to a small town in upstate South Carolina at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I have a small art studio on our homeplace land that gives me the space and place for my creative outlets. On any given day you can find me painting, making jewelry, sorting my "stash" of odd bits papers, fabrics, and natural objects like leaves and twigs, all of which are used in my collages. I am married to the best husband for me, have three grown successful children and eight beautiful grandchildren. God has blessed me all my life! Self.

Visual Arts 2018 Contest

Title

Artist Statement

I enjoy painting landscapes. This piece is my first desert scene. I wanted the feeling of perhaps a comfortable resting place in a harsh environment. The greens, bluegreens, and grays of the living plants provide relief from the hot yellow. A sanctuary. I thought of Christ's temptations by the devil while painting this. The scene gives me a sense of peace. Although thorny bushes surround the interior, the narrow path provides a safe way into the middle where soft shady ground exists.

How it fits into contest

Put on the Armor of God! We walk in a desert everyday. A world filled with temptation and evil. Like Christ, we need the blessings of our Faith to thwart the unholy temptations of this world. Ephesians 4:10-20 define the spiritual resources that God has provided us. Like an oasis in the desert, we can rest in the Peace of Christ when we put on the armor God.

Credits

I have to credit my first teacher, my Mom, my art teachers throughout my schooling, Renee Gillespie my art teacher at the Pickens County Museum, my muse and loving husband Duane; and finally, and most importantly, God my Creator for his Graces and talent to appreciate the goodness in our world.