Guernsey latest stop for world-wide Cruising Artist

Thursday 12 September 2019

An American artist has come to Guernsey as part of her around the world trip, during which she is planning to paint a picture of every place she visits.

Dana Joyce, 67, has been cruising around the globe with her husband with just a few sets of clothes, but a whole load of paints and paper.

Yesterday, she set up shop in Candie Gardens to paint one of the entrances, braving the somewhat miserable weather. 

"We have been travelling on ships since January. We did two segments of a world cruise, stopped there and travelled around the coast of Australia - I did a painting in nearly every port," Mrs Joyce said.

She and her husband have visited, to name but a few of the countries, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, England, Israel, parts of the Baltic, St Petersburg in Russia, Australia, and Tasmania.

Pictured: Mrs Joyce was painting the bottom entrance to Candie Gardens. 

This was also not the first time they had been to Guernsey - she said she loved the island.

"I beyond love Guernsey, it is the second time we have been here and I really want the opportunity to rent somewhere so we can live over here for a while."

So, why painting outside? Mrs Joyce said being out in the open elements was part of the experience for her. 

"I just love painting outside, the wind has blown these pages into my face countless times and I get covered in paint, but there is something about it. I must admit there have been several occasions when people have asked to take my picture, and I only realised why later - it was because I was covered in paint.

"The ships have been great, at the end of each segment they let me show a gallery of what I have painted. They have been really supportive."

On her travels, she has also been welcomed by the local communities. Because of a need to offload some of her paintings, she ended up making a deal with a gallery in Israel, which now displays her work. 

Pictured: Mrs Joyce was visiting Guernsey as a cruise passenger yesterday. 

Mrs Joyce was brought up in the Virgin Islands in America, and now they call Florida their home when they are not at sea. 

"I started getting an interest in Art at three, and my mother started to teach me. At five, I got serious. I went on to get a masters and taught at College, but now, I like painting outdoors."

While she was in Guernsey, Mrs Joyce and her husband also took a short hike to experience what the island was like. 

To read more about Dana Joyce, click here. 

Pictured top: Dana Joyce.