An exhibition of landscape and still-life paintings by Joy Makon

For the first exhibition of our 2024 fall season, 440 Gallery is proud to present Near and Far, an exhibition of landscape and still-life paintings by watercolorist Joy Makon. Joy is a painter of observed life, creating works based on locations and moments she sees through everyday activities and while traveling for pleasure. This collection, her third solo show at the gallery, is a series of studio paintings created in the past two years, based mainly on New York City scenes.

As 440 Gallery founder Nancy Lunsford observed in 2020, “Joy Makon seeks with the eyes of that child on a family trip, thrilled by the unexpected. Her watercolors are the result of visiting spectacular places…the surprise of sunlight and shadows, breathtaking reflections on water, the interesting person who casually walks in front of her.”

In the watercolors exhibited in Near and Far, Makon paints in a classic, representational manner to explore landscapes that capture elements close by and far away; she presents views of the familiar that become surprising and unique through her use of color and composition. Her strong emotional attachment to each subject becomes apparent through her meticulous handling of the watercolor medium, a process that often requires Joy to spend several weeks in her studio completing a painting.

People walk their dogs on sunlit paths in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. In a view from a tall building, a vivid sky frames Lower Manhattan and New York Harbor. Ornate Brooklyn brownstone stoops provide a backdrop of sun-dappled light sparkling in urban gardens. Leaves and petals, boldly frontal and aggressive in shape, take on a sculptural presence against light-filled, textured surfaces.

“I seek out vibrant, astonishingly beautiful scenes to paint to mitigate the daily assault of bad news on a personal and community level,” says Makon. “Immersing myself in a complex, multi-faceted subject is my antidote to all the exposure to violence in our world. I want these paintings to bring a bit of respite from the bombardment of negative events we all try to endure. For the joy of looking at something familiar that highlights the uniqueness of the everyday, or helps us even feel Wow…how cool is that, I try to capture the spirit of a place and even allow myself to romanticize that moment in time.”

Joy Makon has a BFA in graphic design and photography from Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia. Her work is in private collections and has been shown in juried and gallery shows, including the American Watercolor Society, Salmagundi Club, Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, The American Artists Professional League, and the Adirondacks National Exhibit of American Watercolors. Joy is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society and a Resident Artist at the Salmagundi Club in NYC. She has been recognized by the Art Directors Club, the Society of Publication Designers, and the Society of Illustrators for her work as a magazine art director. A native of Philadelphia, Joy has lived in NYC since 1976. Her studio is in an old Brooklyn home that she shares with her husband Solomon, her feline studio manager Lily, and two gardens.