Joy West Arts

I’ve always loved spectacle.  Big, crazy, wild, loud, emotional artistic events.  Something that makes you stop and think – wow!

Jean Claude Cristo has been influential in the art world for decades and my life as well.  As a kid I remember them wrapping the island mangroves of Miami’s Biscayne Bay a bright flamingo pink and the controversy or question  – “Is that art?”  Or, “How is that art?”

In 2005, I was in New York City and saw the spectacular “Gates in Central Park” after almost 20 years of negotiations with the city for the installation.  Seeing their drawings and witnessing the process of the Museum of Art sponsoring it over the decades established large-scale art as my favorite. 

The saffron colored river flowing through the park was incredible against the snow and magnificent trees.  Art changed the city in those two weeks.  People asked again, “How is this art?” and I knew the answer, because it creates an emotion in everyone who sees it.

Performance art and theatre also run deep within me.  My degree and first profession led me to Broadway stages and the talented Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.  Those years in NYC included the Joe Papp Public Theatre and many Shakespeare Festivals in Central Park.  Musical concerts and stadium shows are also a thrill for me and I’ve toured with bands as if I’m a groupie!

And then, I went to Es Ley in Santurce.

The Es Ley Mural Festival really opened my eyes to fresh ideas. I can’t exactly describe the giant pink mural, but it changed me. I fell in love with those streets at Calle Cerra and Calle Cerra.  (Like NY, so great it’s named twice!)

Living nearby I began to watch the artists paint.  I walked the streets and saw many works in progress.   I attended their parties at the Independent Union and even met a few to acquire a new kind of “groupie” status! 

Now, I’m traveling around Puerto Rico to see all the big art. The freshly painted docks at Crash Boat and the island-wide flags project of 2022 are inspiring.

Big art projects can change the world.

The Chromatica in Yacoa was an incredible example of community transformation.  I had to return to see the Eyes of the Elders on the top of the town.  Meeting the man was another life-changing moment as I looked across the landscape and experienced his “vision” for the past 75 years. 

Perspective fascinates me.

I am pursuing my own “Big Art” with murals and sculpture.  Writing can take a backseat because my creativity needs to be set free. My style is modern, bright and tropical, mixing in my love of historical references of the Caribbean.  The Press is shifting towards screen printing and a REMIX of leftover materials needing an upcycle.

And of course, “Pop Art” – by definition is made from popular culture, and for pop culture.  The vibrant images from Santurce and San Juan influence the dreams we have under the Coqui songs.  The “hippie-days” of Warhol and Maxx have taken a cosmic direction that is exploding in murals and music videos of local musicians; Bad Bunny is reaching a global phenomenon level of “Puerto Rican Pop Art”.

Art and community are always intertwined.  If I’m the life coach with creative and critical thinking skills to teach – here’s the new format for transformations to blast off.  Bringing paint to canvas, or paper to giant puppetry demonstrates how our imaginations become reality.

I want to strengthen our creative spirits, or help develop personal ideas – the arts have done this since the beginning of time.

Having a place to create art is a Joy West Press dream coming true as I am painting murals and building “Big” things in Luquillo PR. 

Joy West + Kirsten Peck