Joyce Wilson’s remarkable career spans half a century, and although laurels keep landing in Joyce’s corner, it is her work that speaks volumes, telling three stories of a distinguished career. In l961, she photographed children in a local Santa house, and realized her earlier art training could be useful. She was soon oil painting photographic portraits for local photographers, but felt the portraits of children were contrived and ordinary. She purchased a Rollicord, and enrolled in an evening photography class. After practice and experimenting with her family as subjects, and honing her darkroom skills, Joyce announced to her friends that she was in business. A workshop with the legendary pictorialist Adolf “Papa” Fassbender in l965, gave her insight into the aesthetics of photography, and her small portrait studio was growing. When her husband died in 1970, she convinced her banker to give her a year to make her business profitable. Joyce put her passion for art on hold for the next 20 years in order to work commercially and raise her three children.
Her business thrived with portrait and commercial assignments, and intertwined was a full schedule of lectures and teaching throughout the world. Her images have appeared in advertising usage by Fuji Film, Polaroid, Prudential Insurance, Kodak, Mamiya America and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
By l987, Joyce had remarried, the children were out of the nest, but her busy schedule left little time to create the art that she visualized. She was frustrated and had “hit the wall” creativily. She began experimenting with an old 35mm camera and high-speed film photographing nudes, maternity and mother/child portraits, and the rest is history. She found her passion, and has become known primarily as a fine art photographer and educator. Rarely do you find a talent who can consistently produce images with creativity and imagination, and who also possesses a magical ability to share. After more than 50 years, Joyce's work is fresher and stronger than ever,
Joyce lives in Santa Barbara, CA where she continues her explorations into art, teaches at choice photographic workshops, and is active in the local art community. She served on the faculty at Brooks Institute from 2000-2013, and currently mentors teenagers through the Santa Barbara Arts Fund program.