SPOKANE, Wash. — You’ve probably seen Ben Joyce’s works of art around our region, his masterpieces feature a topographic view of citys and landscapes. But who is the man behind the lines?
Joyce recently opened a gallery in downtown Spokane at the Davenport Hotel, and this Friday night will be the feature of “First Friday.”
“I have always had this fascination with a connection to place,” Joyce said.
He’s put Spokane on the map, literately- Joyce is famous for the way he depicts city’s from the sky, with bright colors and bold lines.
Joyce is a true artist. Its safe to say, he’s a master of his craft, but he’s incredibly humble.
“What I love the most about my whole journey is that it began in Spokane,” Joyce said.
He’s a bulldog, attending Gonzaga University— were he had an opportunity to study in Florence which helped turn him into the artist he is today.
Prior to that trip, he painted objects, like wine bottles and landscapes. But he says as Florence was happening around him, it helped him pivot.
“I look back on those years and it was more of fine tuning my craft, but there was the quest to a style,” Joyce said.
That style evolved, and grew and just like the city he calls home, there were new lines, new blocks, but a familiar overview.
“So for me Spokane is perfect place to call home,” Joyce said, “to have a base that again, allows me to just go out this message to the world.”
That message is the emotional connection to home and each work of art—builds—purposefully unframed.
“These continue on they are kind of like a puzzle piece the next location that you’re connected to,” Joyce said.
He even said that the concept of them being framed makes him feel claustrophobic- he wants them to be open and free.
“These shapes are there for our lifetime,” Joyce said, “I can tell you my connection and my life in Spokane through this one piece [as he points to a painting of Spokane.]”
With the strokes of brushes Joyce has gone global, selling his work far and wide—but never forgetting his roots.
Recently he open a gallery in the heart of downtown at the davenport, a place that holds meaning to him, its where his wedding reception was, its another connection to place.
“Now, I can put on display to the community that’s helped me get to where I am, there here I am a piece of Spokane,” Joyce said.
As bold as Joyces lines are, his overview—hasn’t changed, he’s worked with countless celebrities but is as humble as they come attributing success to his connection to place.
“What I’ve realized in Spokane, if you’re passionate about something and you really have that drive the community supports that and it’s a beautiful thing,” Joyce said.
Come December, Joyce will also be releasing artwork that he says is accessible for everyone. His goal is to ensure that as he grows his artwork as always within reach for the people of Spokane.
