Intuition as a Guide
Rosemary Joynt likes the substance of paint, the feeling of fluidity it offers. According to the artist, although the paint ultimately dries, a sense of flow and movement is retained long after completion. This is what drives Joynt to paint − the constant evolution of what she puts onto canvas. As she adds more layers, her paintings gain depth, and so the process continues.
After studying both Fine Arts and English Literature, Johannesburg-born artist Rosemary Joynt decided to pursue art as a career because it is the only way she knows how to explore and understand the world. For the past 14 years Joynt has been working as a full-time artist and has taken part in several group exhibitions and has had two solo exhibitions. When asked what inspires her to create, Joynt notes that her inspiration mostly comes from engaging with her subject while working. “I am inspired by the challenge of representing the qualities I see juxtaposed in the environment; of disruption as well as coherence, of dynamic force as well as poise and of transience as well as the eternal,” she says.
It is well known among artists that oil paint is a finicky medium. Most artists either love it or hate it. Less forgiving than watercolour and more permanent than pencil, it takes a very specific kind of artist to excel in oils. With her mesmerising patterns that seem to so perfectly encapsulate the depth of nature, Joynt is one such artist. “I am intrigued by oil paint,” the artist explains. “Paint flows, erodes, bleeds, branches, drips and congeals − it's like a living thing. The multiple layering of paint allows the process to be visible and gives a sense of the time spent.”
Joynt explains that she enjoys the way oil paint can be built up, layer upon layer. “I like the way it is able to retain the translucence and how this contrasts with thick impasto which retains its shape when it dries. “In this way, the process can be made visible in the finished painting which gives it a sense of time gradually evolving,” She says.
Although it is in the arena of oil paint that she shines, Joynt also experiments with other mediums such as ink and watercolour. She also describes herself as
a compulsive sketcher. “I draw all the time. Drawing is more analytical than painting, so it helps me gather my thoughts.”
Joynt’s medium of choice is perfectly suited to the subject matter she tends to gravitate towards − patterns. “Broadly speaking, my subject is patterns and how these recur and relate across the micro-macro spectrum,” she explains. However, it is not only certain subject matters that interest and inspire Joynt. She finds joy and intrigue in the process. “The inherent parallels between the physical thing I am depicting in a painting and the process of depiction fascinate me,” she notes.
“My method is intuitive, one of discovery, as I explore the cycles of building up and breaking down both in painting and in
nature. The accumulation of layers of paint is reminiscent of the slow build-up of, for example, rocks and lichens. Similarly, dissolving paint is like the gradual erosion of land by wind and water over time.”
When asked whether she follows a specific artistic process when starting a new piece, Joynt says she often starts out by drawing as a way to think about her ideas and develop them further. Sometimes she just follows her instincts. “Sometimes my work is experimental in that I’m not setting out to make a finished product but rather just exploring different materials and grounds. When paint is allowed to move organically, it’s fascinating to see. These experiments may become artworks or they may be incorporated into an artwork.”
Art has taught Rosemary Joynt to pay close attention. By paying attention to her surroundings and the ever-changing nature of the environment, Joynt depicts in oil what many of us fail to express in words. With instincts guiding her and a vow to never lose sight of why she paints, she is a prime example of what it means to combine passion and intuition, curiosity and exploration.
To view more of her work, please visit www.art.co.za/rosemaryjoynt or follow the artist’s journey on Instagram – @rosemaryjoynt.art.