ORIGINAL DECORATIVE ART by SUMMER JOY

Meet Summer

Summer Joy has been artistically involved her whole life, ever since she could hold a pencil, paintbrush or needle. Possessing a brain condition called synesthesia (or synaesthesia) she has enjoyed a world unusually full of colour ever since she can remember, which has enhanced her artistic appreciation of everything around her. She has explored such varied arts and crafts as painting and drawing, numerous sewing arts including quilt-making and appliqué, basket weaving, and various forms of folk art design and decoration. She has a compulsive desire to beautify whatever is around her, and a particular eye for the artistic potential in even the most mundane items. She is a dedicated recycler by nature, and she gains immense delight from taking something that would be considered throwaway junk and making it into beautiful and useful items for the home and garden.

SummerWare was born when she became inspired by English canal ware decoration, and she originally intended to focus on this style of ornamentation. However, as she began decorating small items acquired from the tip for use in her home in England, her own folk art style emerged and it continues to develop and diverge into different areas of decorative exploration.

Summer has two daughters and a baby granddaughter, and for many years made her home on Vancouver Island and Hornby Island on Canada's west coast. She married Jim Webb, an English craftsman, in 2002 and moved to England to join him. She and Jim live on a farm in Warwickshire, between Rugby and Coventry. They are both avid gardeners and she draws much inspiration for her work from her garden. Her other interests include traditional folk music, animals, and British humour.