Frances Joy Bradbury

Joy moved to DC with her foreign service diplomat single-parent mom at seven and celebrated her eleventh birthday sitting in a bar watching a gecko fall from the high ceiling into a customer’s cocktail in Saigon’s Majestic Hotel.

An on going life of adventure in a variety of cultures, climates and educational settings combined with a willingness to traverse a wide range of experiences, has contributed to Joy’s capacity to relate to diverse peoples and an appreciation of all the expressive arts. These qualities are evident in her exploration of many disciplines and can be seen in her eclectic image making.

Joy first exhibited in New Mexico at the Taos Library. In Colorado she’s shown at Denver Outsider Art, Fort Collins Center for Fine Art Photography, Longmont Firehouse Gallery, and Westminster Rodeo Market Community Art Center. Joy has had two solo shows, one in 2014 at Enriching Elements and in 2016 at Rule4. Other Boulder County exhibits include Front Range Community College, Dairy Center for the Arts, Art Parts, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder City Open Spaces & Mountain Parks, Boulder Public Library Maker Made Shows and Denver Art Students League.

Even though Joy enjoys making art and showing her work, Joy’s real passion is designing, producing and facilitating art-centered group activities. Joy’s on going desire is to find fertile ground to plant her entreprenuerial activist ideas for social change.   

Joy is a self-made artist who makes art to keep good company with her self. This plays out as a daily practice of exploring different media and techniques in collage and attending classes at the Denver Art Students League.