Joy Elaine Praznik

Artist Statement
I work in several mediums: clay, watercolor, oil, drawing, photography and print. However, there is a visual vocabulary that is consistent throughout my work. My representational paintings have a theatrical quality of light and spatial organization and use of stimulating color to achieve visually exciting results. At the same time, I scrupulously render the details of the subject matter.

Gestural strokes and vibrant use of color take shape and create an independent passage of abstract form in my more untraditional work. I often use washes of color and thick pigment that rests on the painting surface.

My work in clay incorporates much of the vocabulary I use in my paintings and drawings. Spatial interplay of line and color are often integrated with sculptural elements showing the hand of the maker.

Bio

Joy Elaine Praznik Sweeney is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art with a major in painting and a minor in ceramics. She joined the creative department of the American Greetings Corporation in 1958.

Her career at American Greetings followed a steady progression of responsibility and influence. As a member of the corporation’s management team, she became the first female officer and the first elected female vice president. After 35 years of service at American Greetings, J. Praznik Sweeney retired in 1993. She returned to The Cleveland Institute of Art for a year of advanced studies. She remains involved with the C.I.A. and currently serves on the Board of Directors and several board committees. She has been an associate professor for workshops and continuing education.

Joy lives in Rocky River, Ohio, with her husband, John, and besides keeping an active schedule in the studio, she serves on two committees for Ohio City Near West Side, is an active member of the League of Women Voters, and loves to travel, which is reflected in the subject matter of her work.

J. Praznik now produces art in oil, watercolor, ceramics, sculpture, print media, and photography. She has numerous awards for her work and has been represented in museums and galleries from Alaska to Florida. Her work is in private and corporate collections throughout the U.S. as well as in many foreign countries.

J. Praznik’s studio is in Cleveland, Ohio, in a restored historical storefront. Visit her web page at art-by-jps.comart-by-jps.com to see examples of her artwork.