Joy Stocksdale

BIO

Joy Stocksdale received a BFA from California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, CA. As a result of studies at Goldsmith’s College, University of London in 1979, she developed polychromatic screen printing. Her printed silk garments, hangings, and quilts have been exhibited throughout the US. She has taught workshops at craft schools, guilds, and conferences. She is the author of an instructional book on her process, Polychromatic Screen Printing, revised in 1991.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My main concern is design. Leaves, flowers, geometric, and abstracts are sources of inspiration. Many designs are inspired by small sketch notes from my imagination or from variations of patterns or parts of designs on historical ceramics, metal, and textile artifacts. The challenge is turning sketches into designs that work within the format of a wall piece. Another challenge is to find a process that allows a direct notation of design. I developed polychromatic screen printing which combines both painting and printing. It allows the same flexibility and spontaneity as painting on paper or fabric, with the added result of more than one print. All the colors of the image are directly painted on one print screen then a portion of the painted dyes is released with one pull of the squeegee. The result is enough dye to print four to six prints from the original painted screen. Polychromatic printing offers me a great variety of approaches and continues to appeal to my imagination.