Joye DeGoede (pronounced Joy Dee-Good) is the artist behind the original JoyEful Party Animals®. Internationally recognized and collected artist Joye DeGoede of the original JoyEful Party Animals® works juxtapose reality with fantasy, inspiring the viewer to see the fun in the mundane and the vast opportunities for joy in our everyday world. Joye, says “I love painting the surrealistic mixture of animals imitating human habits and in their natural habitat to bring empathy to wildlife conservation.

She left her 18 year art teaching career in 2012 to pursue art full time. She called her favorite bunny and scotch loving Aunt to share the news. A fun idea emerged from the phone conversation. Joye was inspired to paint a little rabbit with a glass of scotch. She named him Hop Scotch©. The JoyEful Party Animals® were born!

Joye says, “My art has taken an unanticipated fun turn. I was very serious with my subject matter and message. Life is too short not to laugh, smile and enjoy life. I haven't strayed from my original artist statement, just a JoyEful rabbit trail. “Art emanates from the heart. One does not choose to become an artist, but is instead chosen by the art. I have always had a need to translate my thoughts into art. To my mind, art and emotions are synonymous. My wish is that my work will shake up the way we see and appreciate the everyday life around us. To cause the viewer to slow down for a time; to see the curiosity in a child’s eyes, the wisdom in an older face, the power of beast and nature… ultimately to seek to understand and respect our world around us. I believe if we find seek to find joy and focus on the positive aspects of life; we will clearly see opportunities to solve the challenges on our planet.”

Joye DeGoede is Head Artist in Residence at the Gallery at el Pedregal, located at the Boulders Resort in Scottsdale, AZ. In 2019, Joye was invited to by the U.S. State Department - Arts in the Embassies (AIE) to a three year exhibition in the US Embassy in Montenegro. She applied for this program and is honored to be juried into this esteemed group. She is officially listed and appears on their website of Art in the Embassies Artists. The US Department of State writes “AIE will continue to engage, educate, and inspire global audiences, showing how art can transcend national borders and build connections among peoples.”

Joye is participating in a Invitational three artist show at the Phoenix Zoo – Art on the Wild Side, February 2020 – January 2021. The paintings are so large, she found it necessary to rent additional studio space to create the body of work for the show.

Her works are in the permanent collection of the Arizona Governor's Office including Governor Brewer's official oil portrait, and the National Capitol Tree People's Choice Award winner, and in many private collections in the U.S. and abroad.

Joye graduated from Westminster College with a BS in Fine Art with an Emphasis in Medical Illustration. She also holds an Associate Degree in Commercial and Graphic Art. She is a juried member of several professional organizations, and her works have been featured in multiple shows across the country, including the National Oil & Acrylic Painters Shows, International Guild of Realism, Salmagundi Club shows in NYC, several AAPL Grand National Exhibitions at the Salmagundi Club in NYC, The Mountain Oyster Club Juried Invitational Exhibitions, , Oil Painters of America, American Women Artists, Sonoran Arts League Annual Hidden in the Hills and other juried shows, AZ Art Alliance and the Scottsdale Artist's School Best and Brightest Exhibitions.

You can follow the current “JoyEful Party Animals” adventures at www.Joyesart.com.

Watch our Pandemic Artwork Stories conversation with Joye here.