Joyce Ortner Hall Of Fame Artist

Artist Statement

“The first time I saw the ocean as a young girl, raised on the prairie of North Texas, it took my breath away.  It was the most amazing, magical, beautiful thing that I had ever imagined.  I have never lost that feeling.

 I always thought that it would be so wonderful to have a painting of the sea over the mantle of a fireplace.  Never mind that I didn’t have a fireplace.  As I grew older, a young mother of three children, I wanted to paint that image I had in my head.  I saved all my “Green Stamps” (You are probably too young to remember when merchants would give green stamps when you purchased groceries or gas.) until I had enough to get a set of oil paints, a few brushes, and a small easel.  I painted on that easel for many years, at my kitchen table.

 Oh! My goodness, those early paintings were so terrible!  But I have never given up the dream to capture in some small way, the magic of the sea, with oil paint on canvas.

 In the 1980’s, I was fortunate enough to become friends and paint for a short time, with Loren Adams.  He was the absolute star of Seascape painting in that decade.  He also introduced me to the work of the Old Russian Master of marine painting, Aivazovsky.  These were the painters who most influenced me.

 “Romancing the Sea” is the tag line I use to describe my work. I do not like to be seasick, I do not like to be wet and cold, but my love of the sound of the waves breaking on shore, the feeling of spray and mist, the first light of the sun rising over the Atlantic or the glow of the sun setting over the Pacific, these are the inspiration in my quest to paint ever more beautiful paintings of the sea.”

What Joyce loves about Grumbacher…

 “My love affair with the Grumbacher Pretest Oils began more than 50 years ago, when I first began to paint.

 Over the years I have tried different brands, but I have always returned to using Grumbacher Pretest.  I have taught thousands of students, around the world, my techniques for painting the sea.   Always people ask what paint do I like best and why?   With confidence I recommend these oil paints, because of the consistency of the paint, itself, the trueness of the colors, generally it’s availability, and always important the cost.  Being made in America is a huge plus as well.

 I have eliminated solvents from my classes and use only Grumbacher Linseed oil as a medium to make the paint flow.  This change has made my paintings richer and my classes less toxic.

 A painting is never finished until it is varnished.  Using Damar Retouch Varnish spray, when I finish a painting, brings out the colors, that have dried flat and makes it possible to send off a piece to a gallery or collector, till I can arrange to do a final varnish when it is completely dry.

 Grumbacher’s Picture Varnish for Oil & Acrylic-gloss spray is great for the final varnish, when the painting is completely dry.  I prefer the gloss to the matte finish, for my work, because it reflects more light.”

Joyce recommends Grumbacher Linseed Oil, Matte Damar Varnish Spray and Gloss Picture Varnish.

Joyce Ortner passed away in 2015.  She was a Grumbacher artist since 1962.  She will be fondly remembered through her beautiful artwork.