Joyce Spencer

Joyce Spencer (1928-2019) was an artist who lived in Narrandera and liked making 'things' associated with arts and crafts, exploring the history and techniques of weaving, painting, ceramics and more. Joyce loved sharing her knowledge by teaching and giving workshops. Joyce published five books, with "Folk Art Cards" a best seller among craft circles. Joyce's personal motto was "a creative mess is better than tidy idleness.”

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About The Awards

The Joyce Spencer Textile Awards are to support regional NSW textile artists or collectives to deliver new artworks or exhibitions. Named after the textile artist Joyce Spencer (1928 – 2019), the awards are made possible with funds from the Spencer family and Western Riverina Arts, in partnership with the Cad Factory.
 

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Deborah O’Brien Reflects on the Life of Joyce Spencer

 

For over twenty-five years I had the honour and pleasure of being Joyce Spencer’s friend. We met through our mutual interest in all things artistic. Even then, I was struck by the innovative nature of Joyce’s work and the scope and diversity of the art forms and techniques she embraced.

 

As an artist, maker and craft practitioner, Joyce was active in spinning and weaving, ceramics, folk art and decorative painting, mosaics, metalwork and sculpture. In each of these fields she took traditional techniques and turned them into something ground-breaking and unique. Two decades ago, I recall Joyce showing me some faux relief pieces she had created using dimensional T-shirt paint on hard surfaces. To my knowledge, no-one had ever done this before. Being Joyce, she most generously explained the technique and encouraged me to use it in my own work.

 

Even though Joyce often pushed the boundaries in the way she used paint, fabric and other materials, she also had a deep respect for past traditions. For example, she adapted the styles of traditional folk art such as Bauernmalerei and Rosemaling and made them her own.

 

Joyce’s enthusiasm for life and art was infectious. That’s what made her such an outstanding teacher. She was the consummate mentor, both talented and generous of spirit. In fact, passing on the traditions and techniques was as important to Joyce as creating her own artworks.

 

For years Joyce taught folk art and decorative painting and became renowned for her accessible ‘Light Airy Fairy’ style which was showcased in several books in the Milner Craft Series including “Folk Art Cards” and “Folk Art Weddings”. She is the author (along with me) of “The Art of Teaching Craft” which was published internationally and became an influential book in helping artists to share their techniques effectively with others. By the way, Joyce was a fine writer too and was active in Sydney poetry circles before moving to the Southern Highlands and then Narrandera.

 

Joyce was involved in a number of collaborative projects including the iconic ‘Cod Fish’ she designed for the ‘On Common Ground’ festival, an initiative of Sarah and Vic McEwan from the Cad Factory. The fish was cut out of wire mesh by the Men’s Shed and woven with textiles by many helpers.

 

Even in her late eighties Joyce continued to be a prolific creator. She often said, “Nothing is safe from my paintbrush”, and she upcycled and decorated many an item that other people might have consigned to the tip – hat boxes, watering cans, even a bowls’ bag and a pair of cowboy boots – turning them into heirlooms of the future. Melding function and decoration was at the heart of Joyce’s work. In that respect, she followed in the tradition of William Morris who said: Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.