I met this fantastic artistic duo last year when I was vending at a Once Upon A Fairy Tale market. We actually were neighbors beside one another the entire weekend. And while the weekend had a lot of new experiences, making these great friends was for sure one of those highlights! Keeping in touch a year later, and still being in aww at their artwork they both produce, each with their own unique styles, I had to include them in this spotlight showcasing local talent and picking their brains a little bit with who they are for all to see! This is the Scotian Spotlight on Joy and Fury Art! You can check out their wonderful variety of art work sure to please literally anyone on their website here.
***As always my two cents under some paragraphs will be demonstrated with the *** and the smallest font here !
– Who are you both, and what is your backgrounds?
Hey there! We are Maureen & Greg Fownes, the Halifax based artists behind Joy and Fury Art. We founded this business in 2023, specializing in greeting cards, stickers, and fine art prints.
Maureen–I am a graduate of NSCAD University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and my paintings have appeared in local galleries and restaurants in Nova Scotia. Born and raised in Halifax, I have been a lover of art and creativity my entire life. I love working with paint and clay, along with an interest in creating miniatures when time permits (I’m a tad slow to make them!).
Greg – I’m a graduate of McKenzie College with training in Graphic Design, and my work has appeared in galleries in Nova Scotia as well. Born in Cape Breton, I have been pursuing creative projects since I was young, including digital illustrations, creative writing, and a few years as a performing singer/songwriter (with two albums under my belt). In my spare time, I am working on writing and illustrating a graphic novel, but this is still a few years out.
– What made you both want to take the plunge into full time art creation?
Maureen – For me, I really needed the space and time to create my art. Working a full time (and high stress) office job was really hurting my creative soul, and I needed to make a change.
Greg – Yes, same with me. We were both wilting in our office jobs, and we needed to make a change. We didn’t want to resign ourselves to staying with our jobs for another 30 years – we needed to make art! We tried doing this part time, but at the end of the day, we just didn’t have the time or energy to get this thing off the ground. So in 2022 we both quit our jobs and devoted ourselves to making art, and starting the business.
Maureen – And don’t get us wrong, this was TERRIFYING for us (and still is, sometimes). We may look calm and cool on the outside, but inside we were scared little babies. But we needed to do this, we both felt like it was our calling.
– How did you come up with your name?
Greg – Ah the name, this only took us about… 4 months? We went back and forth so many times it was beginning to make our heads spin.
Maureen – It took a while, but when we landed on Joy and Fury Art, we knew it was the right name for us. The name reflects the artistic process – the joy of creating, counterbalanced with the fury of making mistakes and the frustration that sometimes comes with it.
Greg – Yeah, we both feel euphoric when we make an art piece we are really proud of. And other times… well it’s not so positive. But that’s the deal you make with the Art Gods – sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.
*** And if you are anything like me, you will absolutely fall in love with this “Super Canada” Collection of artwork that Greg has created with such a delightful mash-up of Super Mario Worlds and Canada!
– What would you consider your styles? If any? And how do they differ from one another?
Maureen – I’m more of a traditional artist than Greg, using watercolour, acrylic, pen, marker, clay, and other physical materials to create my pieces. I love nature, animals, and creating pieces that spark joy and satisfaction for the viewer. I love colour, and experimenting with my style. And tiny things. If I can make something tiny…I will!
Greg – And I’m mostly a digital artist, using a digital drawing tablet to create my pieces in photoshop. I grew up on comic books and action movies, and love bringing lots of graphic detail to my pieces. I especially love bold and saturated colours, giving my pieces a fantastical element with lots of movement and energy.
– Over the past year, have you had any major Milestones?
Maureen – 2024 was a BIG year for us! Our pieces were featured at Argyle Fine Art, The Dartmouth Gallery and Von Winkle Art Gallery!
Greg – Yes, we are so honoured to be a small part of the art scene in Halifax, it is truly amazing. We were featured on CTV news on three different occasions, which was an amazing promotion for us. We were also selected as one of the vendors for Hal-Con last year (so cool), and we started selling our pieces to local shops.
Maureen – Getting our art into local (and some distant) stores was a real boost for us, and we look forward to expanding our art collections this year.
– What would you give as a tip or two for any young or emerging artist to prepare or pursue this way of creations
Greg – Well I would first say to them – awesome! The world needs your art, it needs what your unique view can bring forth. My advice would be to put as much work into the business side of things as you do the artistic side of things. It’s not fun or glamorous at times, but if you don’t do the boring things, it will be much harder for you to find and connect with your audience and customers.
Maureen – Yes and I would add, start slow! Like Greg said, the world needs your art. But don’t be in too much of a rush to get it all done. It will take time (longer than you want) but if you are consistently showing up, you will achieve success.
*** Literally how true is this above in terms of success!
Greg – Yes, and like the saying goes “if it was easy, everyone would do it”. But don’t let that discourage you either. The more you grow, the more you can take on, and the more that people see your art – the better you get.
Maureen – It is scary at times, but it is also tons of fun! Go out there and create something that will add a little joy to someone’s life.
You can find Greg and Maureen of Joy and Fury art literally many stores across the province! From a gift shops at the Halifax International Airport, to stores downtown and of course their markets and Conventions around the city. As always though you can take a peek at their work via their Instagram here as well as Facebook. And their ever growing store online via their website here that has such a broad catalog of prints and stickers, cards and more!
Stacey J. Girard 