72 SIDELINES OCTOBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Joyce Hall
Photo by Daniel Kuhn.
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Artist Profile
Joyce Hall
Huger, South Carolina
Type of artist: Painter - Website:
Joyce Hall grew up in Maryland where she
rode and taught riding and art. After a career
of teaching college equestrian programs,
Joyce has now settled down and devotes her
time to pursuing art. She also continues her
passion for teaching by hosting workshops at
her studio.
“Starting Gate” – 24 x 18 Painting
All photos courtesy of Joyce Hall, unless noted
“In the Wings” – 24 x 18 Painting
How would you describe your style?
Because I am a teacher and I want my
students to experiment and grow, I’m constantly
introducing them to different approaches, styles,
brush strokes and new ways to see. Sometimes
I’ll demonstrate a horse with small crosshatching
strokes and sometimes with broad impressionistic
flat brush strokes. This spills over into my work
and hopefully results in my paintings evolving.
Having said that, the core of my style remains to
be what I would describe as painterly realism -
accurate yet loose.
What do you enjoy most about hosting a
workshop?
When working in the field, it’s really exciting to
see students accomplish things they didn’t think
they could do, like painting a moving horse from
life. What I enjoy most about teaching workshops
is the opportunity to work with artists for several
days with no interruptions or outside distractions.
New skills are developed and the comradeship
forms lasting friendships.
What has been your greatest challenge?
The most difficult thing for me is to paint a
posed animal that is not relating to other animals
or people. The most challenging commission I
ever had was a six-foot portrait of a horse and
all I had to work from was a 4 x 6 photo that was
faded and distorted. I am often asked to paint
animals who have passed away and, in spite
of the fact that their owners loved them dearly,
nobody ever took a decent photo. I have to draw
on my experience to paint a horse with his ears
up in his summer coat from a blurry photo of a
horse with his ears back in his winter coat. In
the end, the bigger the challenge the greater the
satisfaction when the owner literally bursts into
tears of joy at the presentation of the painting.
“Because I’m Worth It” – 24 x 36 Painting
“Bonding” – 24 x 18 Painting.
