Joyce Ford is predominantly a printmaker but also paints and works in ceramics and fabrics. After completing an English degree as a mature student, she joined a silk painting class but found the medium restriction and soon moved on to batik and block and screen printing on fabric which, which in turn inspired her current interest in multi media printing on papers.
Much of her current work is based around etchings, but rather than producing series, each print is unique, often combine various etching techniques with screen printing and lino cuts and other forms of block printing.
Similar techniques are applied to collagraphs which are also produced as unique images, such as ‘Riven' (left) which won the abstract award at the Local Art Society Annual Exhibition in 2003.
Since joining a day course at the University of Hertfordshire Joyce has been able to extend the scope of her screen printing, including abstracts based on multiple images, to larger landscapes incorporating applied textures.
Her work is often inspired by images and effects generated in nature, such as shadows cast by foliage and reflections in water. These are captured digitally for future reference.
Joyce's other main activity is ceramics, producing both thrown and coiled pots and also slab built forms. A particular interest is raku, fired in her own kiln.
A number of her collagraphs and etchings are in private collections.
