Joy Hernandez
Joy Hernandez is an artist currently residing in Indianapolis, Indiana. The artistic thread runs through many members of her family and she is proud to carry on that tradition. She was good at coloring “in the lines” at an early age, and has been painting or drawing ever since.
She was born in Kewanee, Illinois, and spent most of her childhood there. She received wonderful instruction during high school in the techniques of watercolor, pastel and acrylic painting and was placed in leadership roles by her art teacher, Mrs. Sue Blake, for school dance decoration and school theatre set designs. Joy won multiple awards in various high school competitions, including gold keys at the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition and several places at the Congressional Art Competition. Joy has carried with her the local flavor and traditions of life in Kewanee, and this influence can be seen in some of her work today.
Wanting to pursue a career in animation, Joy enrolled at the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago, but decided the slower pace of animation work was not best for her, although an appreciation for animated works remained. She then moved to Indianapolis to study television news photography at the University of Indianapolis. While there, she continued to advance her artistic skills, training her eye and exercising her creative spirit by working in television news.
Currently, Joy is a video photographer and editor at WISH-TV, the CW affiliate in Indianapolis and also a reporter-photographer for the nationally-syndicated show Pet Pals TV. She views this line of work to be just one more outlet for artistic creativity. The images she sees on some of her story assignments have worked their way into her paintings and drawings.
Joy has also become more focused on showing her artwork in her community, starting with her first gallery experience at Art & Soul by Phoebe Gallery in Muncie, Indiana. Her first solo show was at the Clowes Memorial Hall performing arts venue on the campus of Butler University. For five years, Joy was the gallery manager at the Art Bank, in Indianapolis, and showed her work there regularly.
Also in 2013, Joy got an opportunity to join the Walldogs mural organization, when they picked her hometown of Kewanee, Illinois, for their annual meet. She helped with promotion and organization of the event, and then had the honor of helping to paint one of the 15 historically-based murals created during the five days of the meet. Joy has since traveled with the Walldogs to their meets in Shipshewana, Indiana, and Marshall, Illinois, as well as assisted on a mural in Union City, Indiana. She continues to look forward to the annual meets and any additional opportunities to assist her Walldog friends in their projects. She has also turned her promotional skills toward Kewanee, helping the town to win the title of Most Friendliest Small Town in the 2013 Rand McNally Best of the Road contest, and shooting the town’s 2014 viral video version of Pharrell William’s “Happy” song, which was featured on CNN’s 50 States 50 Stories for Illinois.
In 2017, Joy left the Art Bank to found the Full Circle Nine Gallery, in the Circle City Industrial Complex, near downtown Indianapolis, with several artist friends. Transforming part of an old car factory into a usable gallery space, and starting a business from the ground up, taught Joy many lessons, and brought many in the group “full circle” in the business side of art. Joy regularly shows her work at FC9 and considers it her gallery home.
Joy continues to show at the Full Circle Nine Gallery, as well as other locations and show opportunities throughout Indianapolis. Her current painting focus is around a stenciling technique with a mix of aerosol and acrylic underlay showcasing her quirky interests. She also happily accepts commissions dealing in personal subject matter as requested by her fans and patrons.
She was born in Kewanee, Illinois, and spent most of her childhood there. She received wonderful instruction during high school in the techniques of watercolor, pastel and acrylic painting and was placed in leadership roles by her art teacher, Mrs. Sue Blake, for school dance decoration and school theatre set designs. Joy won multiple awards in various high school competitions, including gold keys at the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition and several places at the Congressional Art Competition. Joy has carried with her the local flavor and traditions of life in Kewanee, and this influence can be seen in some of her work today.
Wanting to pursue a career in animation, Joy enrolled at the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago, but decided the slower pace of animation work was not best for her, although an appreciation for animated works remained. She then moved to Indianapolis to study television news photography at the University of Indianapolis. While there, she continued to advance her artistic skills, training her eye and exercising her creative spirit by working in television news.
Currently, Joy is a video photographer and editor at WISH-TV, the CW affiliate in Indianapolis and also a reporter-photographer for the nationally-syndicated show Pet Pals TV. She views this line of work to be just one more outlet for artistic creativity. The images she sees on some of her story assignments have worked their way into her paintings and drawings.
Joy has also become more focused on showing her artwork in her community, starting with her first gallery experience at Art & Soul by Phoebe Gallery in Muncie, Indiana. Her first solo show was at the Clowes Memorial Hall performing arts venue on the campus of Butler University. For five years, Joy was the gallery manager at the Art Bank, in Indianapolis, and showed her work there regularly.
Also in 2013, Joy got an opportunity to join the Walldogs mural organization, when they picked her hometown of Kewanee, Illinois, for their annual meet. She helped with promotion and organization of the event, and then had the honor of helping to paint one of the 15 historically-based murals created during the five days of the meet. Joy has since traveled with the Walldogs to their meets in Shipshewana, Indiana, and Marshall, Illinois, as well as assisted on a mural in Union City, Indiana. She continues to look forward to the annual meets and any additional opportunities to assist her Walldog friends in their projects. She has also turned her promotional skills toward Kewanee, helping the town to win the title of Most Friendliest Small Town in the 2013 Rand McNally Best of the Road contest, and shooting the town’s 2014 viral video version of Pharrell William’s “Happy” song, which was featured on CNN’s 50 States 50 Stories for Illinois.
In 2017, Joy left the Art Bank to found the Full Circle Nine Gallery, in the Circle City Industrial Complex, near downtown Indianapolis, with several artist friends. Transforming part of an old car factory into a usable gallery space, and starting a business from the ground up, taught Joy many lessons, and brought many in the group “full circle” in the business side of art. Joy regularly shows her work at FC9 and considers it her gallery home.
Joy continues to show at the Full Circle Nine Gallery, as well as other locations and show opportunities throughout Indianapolis. Her current painting focus is around a stenciling technique with a mix of aerosol and acrylic underlay showcasing her quirky interests. She also happily accepts commissions dealing in personal subject matter as requested by her fans and patrons.
