artist bio

Joyce Robinson is a graphic and web designer, and quilt artist. She lives in outside of Boulder, Colorado and loves to tele ski, travel, and play with her yellow lab. Her earliest artistic inspirations came from her mother and grandmother, who taught her to sew and embroider as a kid. She began her formal art training at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and The University of Arizona in Tucson, and has degrees in Fine Arts (with a Photography Emphasis) and Computer Graphic Design. She is the former Art Director of Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine, and now freelances for CKMedia, designing and illustrating for McCall's Quilting and Quilters Home. Her patterns and designs have been published in McCall’s Quilting, Quick Quilts, Quilters Home, QNM, Quiltmaker magazine, Quiltmaker’s Favorites, and C&T books. Joyce’s creations have won several awards in the Monarch Quilters Guild annual shows and other art shows.

artist statement

“I have always loved fiber and I’ve been an artist as far back as I can remember. My graphic design, photography and weaving interests have greatly complimented my love for designing quilts. My magazine design work gave me the inspiration and expert technical skills to start quilting. Some of my designs are very planned and others are more improvisational. I love to use Bali batiks and hand-dyed fabrics. I think of it as creative play with the fabrics – letting the colors react and looking for happy meetings between fabric, thread, pattern and texture. Quilting inspires my creative spirit, but the fun really happens when sharing through teaching and exhibits.”

... Joyce Robinson

Joyce Robinson resumé

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Freelance Graphic Designer
and Web Designer

• Self-employed, 2000-present. Clients include these magazines and businesses: McCall’s Quilting, Quilter’s Home, Quilter’s Newsletter, Quilt It, Quiltmaker, Sew Simple, Craftrends, CKMedia Marketing, Bicycle Colorado, Monarch Ski Area, CCCA, KHEN radio, AT&T, VRJS Criminal Justice Services, America Bikes, The Book Haven, Rockin P Ranch, The Sports Bar, Balance Point Acupuncture Clinic, Dyesmithy, Native Ecology, Tom Tobias en.

Quilting Teacher
and Art Quilter

• Original quilts and quilt designs published in the above-mentioned quilt magazines, 1997-present.

• YLI Threads Designer Program, 2007-present.

• Quilting teacher, Quilt Studio, Poncha Springs, CO, 2001-06.

• Trade show booth team member, McCall’s Quilting, AQS Quilt Show, Paducah, Kentucky, 2004.

• Art quilt presentation/workshops to Colorado guilds: Arapahoe County Bee and Quilting Guild, 2006; League of Northern Colorado Quilters, 2005; Columbine Quilt Guild, 2004; Pride City Quilter’s Guild, 2003; Quilt & Stitch Expo, 2003; San Luis Valley Quilter’s Guild, 2002; Monarch Quilter’s Guild, 2001.

• Quilted bowls and art quilts in Colorado galleries: Cultureclash, Salida, 2005-06; guest artist at Chivis and Lovell Gallery, Salida, 2004-05; Pioneer Museum Store, Colorado Springs, CO, 2004-05; Brodeur Art Gallery, Salida, CO, 2002-04.

Art Director and Senior Designer
for Quilting Magazines

• Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine and Quilt It, Rodale Press and Primedia, Golden, CO, 1995-2000. Management of monthly and special issue, full-color, quilting magazine design and art production. Create solutions for projects with highest levels of complexity. Oversee, hire and train small art staff and freelancers. Create layouts and how-to illustrations and technical diagrams of quiltmaking and sewing techniques. Develop quilting designs. Art direction of how-to, set-up, and on-location photography. Maintain art department design style guidelines library. Design of advertising media kits and house ads. Review editorial submissions and approve submitted photography. Develop new magazine prototype for focus-group testing. Prepare art department budget. Exchange technical and troubleshooting tips. Fill-in for Production Manager. Mac based.

Senior Marketing Artist
for Retail Quilting Catalog

• Quilts & Other Comforts, Leman Publications and Rodale Press, Golden, CO, 1994-95. Responsible for design and layout of quilting product and fabric catalog. Designed club newsletter, books, patterns, direct mail packages, flyers, sub cards, order forms, and ads. Art direction of product photography. Mac based.

Office Assistant and Art Director
for Non-Profit Bicycling Advocacy Organization

• Bicycle Colorado, Salida, CO, 2001-02. Newsletter design, live and silent auction coordination, membership data entry, direct mail printing coordination, volunteer supervision, website updating. PC based.

Graphic Artist and Advertising Manager for Weekly Newspapers

• The Mountain-Ear and The Gilpin County Advocate, Nederland, CO, 1988-94. Ad sales and design of display and classified ads, logos, maps, and graphs. Editorial layout and paste-up, including special issues. Press proofing, photography, billing and distribution. Promotion of annual 5K and 10K race. Mac based.

Other Experience

• Designer, tile crew member and laborer for new mountain homes, Spotts Construction, Nederland, CO, 2007 and 1996.

• Gallery director and assistant for non-profit arts organization, Chaffee County Council on the Arts, Buena Vista, CO, 2000-02.

• Arts council secretary, Nederland Arts & Humanities Advisory Board, Nederland, CO, 1991-92.

• Ticket sales at ski and nordic center, Eldora Mountain Resort, Nederland, CO, 1988-93.

• Cameraman, film stripper and typesetter, Seattle, WA, 1986-88.

• Artist and photo assistant for fashion catalog, Arizona Mail Order, Tucson, AZ, 1985-86.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Studio Art (Photography)

• University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 1982-86.

• School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, 1980.

Computer Graphics and Design Degree

• Visual Communications Program, Platt College, Denver, CO, 1992.

• Art Institute of Seattle, Seattle, WA, 1988.

Web Design Classes

• Web Design using Dreamweaver, Mark Wiard, Salida, CO, 2002 and 2008.

• Dreamweaver Hands-On Intensive, Boulder Digital Arts, Boulder, CO, 2008.

• Colorado Mountain College, Buena Vista, CO, 2001.

• Bristow Consulting, Nederland, CO, 2000.

Quilt-Related Classes

• Professional Quilter’s Survival Seminar, Caryl Bryer Fallert, International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX, 2002.

• Fabric Hand-Dyeing Classes, Dyesmithy, Levels 1-3, 2003; Quilt Studio, 2003.

COMPUTER SKILLS

Macintosh

• Very skilled in Quark, Illustrator and Hotshot CS3 using Mac OS System. Learn quickly and adapt easily to software upgrades and learning new software.

• Other software skills: Acrobat, Word, Excel, scanning, color correction.

• Web Design: Dreamweaver.

PC

• Skills on a PC using database programs, Quick Books and Word. Also designed projects using PC-based Quark, Illustrator and Photoshop.

SHOWS & AWARDS

Art Quilts

• One-woman exhibit of original art quilts: Center for the Arts, Crested Butte, CO, 2005; Bongo Billy’s Cafe, Salida, CO, 2001-02, 2004.

• Invited artist, Colorado Quilting Council Show, Pioneer Museum, Colorado Springs, CO, 2004.

Monarch Quilter’s Guild Show Winners

• 2nd Place, Magnolia Maze quilt, 2005.

• 2nd Place, Quilted Bowls, 2002.

• Viewer’s Choice, Bears in the Woods quilt, 2000.

CCCA Open Awards Show

• 3rd Place, Like Paint quilt, Buena Vista, CO, 2001.

Other Exhibits

• Steam Plant Gallery, Salida, CO.

• Leman, Rodale and Primedia Gallery, Golden, CO.

• Capital Quilt Show, Denver, CO.

Colorado Press Association Awards for Excellence

• Presented to The Mountain-Ear, 1989-1993. Overall Ad Excellence; Ad Layout/Design; Ad Excellence; Ad Campaign; Ad Special Section; Newspaper Promotion; Use of Color in Ad; Best Ad; Classified Section; Single Page Design; Editorial Layout/Design; Typography, Layout, Design; General Excellence.