Artist Statement
I think of myself not so much as an artist as a maker. I make in layers. Layers of paper, layers of meaning, layers of time. I believe that every subject is multifaceted, that even the most serious or difficult subject encompasses humor, irony, joy, even if those qualities find themselves in the courage of the people who have survived or in the nobility of those who didn’t.
Much of my way of seeing the world comes from working with homeless youth for almost 20 years as a co-founder of p:ear, a program for creatively mentoring homeless youth and 40 years as a practitioner of The Fourth Way, a spiritual path. Both of these experiences have allowed me to see how no one is one thing, as Walt Whitman said, “I am not contained between my hat and boots.” Because so much of my experience has been relational, my work is often interactive, including interplay, pun and is about the celebration of the ordinary in extraordinary circumstances.
Bio
Portland, Oregon based maker, Joy Cartier, has been working in altered books and collage for the past several years. She works in layers of paper, layers of meaning, layers of time. She believes that every subject is multifaceted, changing, developing and that even the most serious or difficult subject encompasses humor, irony, and joy.
Much of her way of seeing the world comes from working with homeless youth for almost 20 years as a co-founder of p:ear, a program for creatively mentoring homeless youth and 40 years as a practitioner of The Fourth Way, a spiritual path.
Her work has been shown at p:ear Gallery, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, The Multnomah Art Center, coffee shops/cafes around the greater Portland area and soon The Walters Cultural Arts Center.