Graphic & Fine Artist with over 40 years experience

Rich color and bold strokes created with a palette knife and “an extreme amount of paint” are what my oils are about, but my approach to other mediums yield equally intriguing results. Over the last several years I have alternated between the graphic art world, oil & acrylic painting, and a digitally created world of fanciful, whimsical children's characters - “The Land of the Buzzlewics” and the“Zoppyzeeps."

I  find that the same abilities that sustained me through 27 years as a newspaper graphic artist — working rapidly, thinking quickly, designing on a moment’s notice — continue to fuel my creative style.


FINE ARTIST 1980-PRESENT
Courtney Studio, Joplin, MO

•     Oil, acrylic, mixed media, digital design and photography
•     Art workshops and presentations
•     Exhibits, Shows & Gallery Representation
•     Charitable work through art
•     Special projects - “Angels for Joplin”, “Lemon Oak Studio”


RETAIL/EDITORIAL GRAPHIC ARTIST 1981-2009
The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

•    Responsible for layout designs, ads, illustrations, maps, brochures,
     flyers, tabloids, photography, special project research
•    Web design/maintenance/photography/graphics/promotion/recruiting    
     and maintaining relationships with artists, art organizations and businesses  
     for the Globe’s “Ozark Artists Colony” and “Arts of the Four States, which
     included a historical guide of Joplin. I also created, built and maintained
     the “Newspaper In Education” website.

Community Involvement

•    “Beautify Joplin,” Joplin Globe Team Captain
•    “Rejuvenate Joplin,” Representative, Joplin Globe


ILLUSTRATOR (freelance)1992-1996
S.I. International, New York City, NY & Brand Ventures Group, Marlboro, NJ

•    Book illustrations for Scholastic, Grosset & Dunlap, Landoll Publishing
     and Silver Burdett & Ginn PublishingLicensing
•    Created illustrations for Ceaco Inc,  American Home, Creative Horizons,
     F.R. Industries of California and Jesali, Inc.


GALLERY DIRECTOR 2010-2012
Rose Gallery of Fine Art, Joplin, MO

•    Helped with opening of new gallery from conception to completion
•    Created logo and graphics for marketing
•    Managed art and relationships with 40 plus artists.
•    Curated & hung exhibits
•    Photography of artwork for artists and media
•    Built website and maintained social media


GRAPHIC ARTIST/WEB DESIGNER  2004-2009, 2014-15
Spiva Center for the Arts, Joplin, MO

•   Responsible for designing, building and maintaining website
•   Photography, graphics, advertising
•   Newsletters, flyers, banners, exhibit promotional pieces
 

CHARACTER DESIGNER 1968 - Present
Courtney Studio, Joplin, MO

“The Land of the Buzzlewics”   
•    Created multiple cartoon characters and their personality descriptions,
     illustrations of their land, style guide material, pilot and stories and several
     mock ups for products including clothing, toys and games.  

   
“The Zoppyzeeps”
•   Character line with multiple cartoon characters still in progress


SKILLS
•    Photoshop 
•    InDesign 
•    Illustrator 
•    Dreamweaver
•    Oil  
•    Acrylic 
•    Mixed Media
•    Photography

EDUCATION
•    Missouri State University,  Springfield, Mo. 1979 (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting)
•    Central State University, Edmond, OK. 1980 (Post graduate work, Graphics)

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ART-RELATED TEACHING
•   Fairview Elementary School, Carthage, Mo.
•   Eugene Fields Elementary School, Webb City, Mo.
•   Carl Junction Elementary School, Carl Junction Mo.
•   Joplin Gifted Children, Joplin, Mo.
•   St. Mary’s Catholic School, Joplin, Mo.
•   McAuley Catholic School, Joplin, Mo.
•   Thomas Jefferson School, Joplin, Mo.
•   Joplin High School, Joplin, Mo.
•   Writer’s Guild, Monett, Mo.
•   St. Avips Perspectives, Joplin, Mo.
•   Study Club,  Joplin, Mo.

 

WORKSHOPS
•  “Mosaics with Tricia Courtney,"  Spiva Center for the Arts
•  “Spiva Special Weekend Workshop: Found Object Angels," Spiva Center for the Arts
•  “Bits & Pieces:  Mosaic Fun,!" Spiva Center for the Arts

 

CHARITABLE WORK THROUGH ART
•  Ronald McDonald House
•  American Cancer Society
•  YMCA, Tradition of the Trees
•  Joplin Area Catholic Schools/St. Peter's Church
•  artCentral
•  St. Ann’s Elementary School, Carthage
•  St. Ann’s Church, Carthage
•  KOZJ, Public Television
•  George A. Spiva Center for the Arts
•  Friends of St. Avips (Spiva)
•  Breast Cancer Association (Pink Ribbon Gala)
•  Audubon Society
•  Mwangaza International
•  Heart Association
•  Audubon Society
•  Art Feeds

•  Joplin Humane Society

 

ART ORGANIZATIONS
•  Spiva Center for the Arts, Joplin, Mo.
•  artCentral, Joplin, Mo.

•  Joplin Regional Artist Coalition
 

EXHIBITIONS
•  Midwest Gathering of the Artists, Joplin, Mo.
•  The Hawthorn Gallery, Springfield, Mo.  (Women Artists of the Midwest)
•  Strecker-Nelson Art Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas ("Richly Pigmented")
•  Spiva Center for the Arts, Joplin, Mo.
•  Post Memorial Art Reference Library, Joplin, Mo.
•  artCentral, Carthage, Mo (Spring River Artists)
•  Ronald McDonald House, Joplin, Mo.
•  Friends of St. Avips Ball & Art Auction
•  Brushstrokes, Joplin, Mo.
•  Perspectives Gallery of Fine Art Public Art Sale (Friends of St. Avips)
•  Neosho Arts Council, Neosho, M0

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