Exhibit: Artist Joy Postle: Inspired by Nature, 1896-1989
Special Collections & University Archives Posted: November 2nd, 2015
Joy Postle’s Rhapsody in Rose number 7.
Joy was a rare bird. She rather resembled the long-legged, wading birds found near Florida’s seacoast, lakes, marshes, and glades. A plein air artist, Postle patiently painted wildlife, enduring harsh environmental conditions, using watercolor, gouache, and pen and ink. To see Florida through the eyes of Joy Postle is to see breathtaking landscapes of a vivid, natural era. Detail, light, color, and even a sense of humor mixed with fantasy capture the imagination of viewers, reminding us of nature in its early, unblemished form.
The Joy Postle collection is located at the University of Central Florida in Special Collections and University Archives at the John C. Hitt Library. This collection of her life’s work includes artwork from the 1920’s to the 1980’s as well as ephemera highlighting aspects of her personal and professional life. Joy Postle was not only a self-supporting artist, she was also an entertainer, a writer, and an environmentalist.
The Joy Postle exhibit will be on display on the main floor of the John C. Hitt Library from November 1st – November 30th.