Upper Dublin Employee Gets into Yellow Springs

If you live in Upper Dublin, you might know Joyce Guariglia. She’s been working in the police department’s records room for the past 12 years, and she’s usually behind Plexiglas. You might not know that she’s an accomplished artist … working in watercolors and pastels.

Guariglia, originally from Philadelphia, has been drawing and painting her whole life. She started out using watercolors, studied watercolor technique at the Greater Norristown Art League and has even done commissioned watercolor paintings for the past eight years. But Guariglia recently jumped ship to pastels.

“For some reason — not that I was disillusioned — but I just thought I needed a change,” Guariglia said. “I just needed something different as an artist. I had an old set of pastels laying around and I just took to it. Then I started looking for successful artists who could teach me.”

So far, Guariglia has taken pastel workshops in Atlanta and two separate workshops in Arizona. She’s also heading to France in June to work on her craft.

“Right now, what I’m striving for is composition, and good, strong lights and darks,” Guariglia said. “I think a good picture will draw someone in, and it also has to have an exit. When you go into the painting, you have to think, ‘Oh, I’ve been here,’ and there has to be a way out.”

The workshops, and the jump in medium, seem to have paid off. Guariglia’s work was recently accepted into the Yellow Springs Art Show, which is in its 40^th installment. She said she heard about the Chester Springs-based show by word of mouth, and has been trying to get in for the past ten years.

“It’s one of those shows where you can only apply every other year, and if you forget and miss a year, well …” Guariglia said. “This show, it’s big and it’s really the best thing for me. I finally got in.”

See the full list of artists in this year’s show and their work here.

Guariglia’s subject matter includes landscapes with structures and sometimes animals and people;  she said she gets inspiration from just driving around.

“I have a camera in the car all the time and I just take pictures wherever I am,” she said. “If I see a place, I’ll go back and take a picture, or if I see people on the street, I’ll ask if I can take their picture.” 

To see more of Guariglia’s work, visit her website, http://www.joyceguariglia.com.

The artist describes herself as passionate, and she said that the thought of painting motivates her … everyday. Guariglia added that she aspires to be recognized in the art community and would ultimately like to be an art teacher. 

See Guariglia’s work at the Yellow Springs Art Show, which runs through May 12. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays. The gallery is located at 1685 Art School Road,
 Chester Springs. Admission is free.