His & Hers — J Life Magazine

By Jill-Duff Hoppes

In 2022, J Life launched a series of visual art stories that highlight local Jewish artists and their artistic journeys. In this issue, we continue that series with a look at two talented creatives in our Central Florida community. One is an abstract artist whose passion for painting ignited in adulthood. The other is a mixed-media artist who immersed himself in creating artwork as a child and is now a fixture on the outdoor art-festival circuit.

Lost (and found) in Art

Abstract artist Joy Davis has always had a creative side, but it wasn’t until the pandemic hit in 2020 that she began painting with fervor.

“I was so excited to paint, and I would get so absorbed in what I was doing, sometimes I would forget to eat,” says the 73-year-old, who lives in Longwood with her husband, Kenny.

That relentless drive to create hasn’t subsided post-pandemic, either. Joy often holes up in her home studio for hours on end refusing to take a break until a piece begins to blossom into something she loves.

“I don’t leave unless I have an emotional connection to the canvas, until that emotional connection feels real,” she says.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Joy earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in education from Johns Hopkins University. She taught school for about five years and then moved to Florida in 1977 and started a family.

Joy explored the art of making pottery in her 20s, and in her 40s, she felt a spark ignite for painting abstract pieces. Then in 2010, she went through a divorce and found herself painting not only as a means of self-expression but also as a therapeutic outlet.

Over the years, Joy has studied at Crealdé School of Art in Winter Park and in Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona, honing her personal style. Her preferred medium is acrylic paint, and she finds inspiration in nature, music, and people. One of Joy’s longtime artistic influences is Helen Frankenthaler, who was a noted abstract expressionist painter.

“What makes abstract art interesting to me is that everyone sees something different in a work, and you can see something different every time you look at a picture,” says Joy. “I personally put intense energy and passion into every piece.”

Joy often works with interior designers who are looking for that perfect piece for a client. She has also exhibited her art in galleries and donated her work for fundraisers at The Jewish Pavilion where Kenny serves on the board of directors.

This summer, several of Joy’s paintings were included in Sensory Overload, a group exhibit at CityArts in downtown Orlando. Curated annually by local DJ Mel Taylor, the exhibit showcases the work of female artists while raising funds for charities.

Family is now Joy’s primary motivator for making art – which became crystal clear to her during the pandemic. Joy and Kenny, who knew each other in high school, reconnected in 2010 and married in 2012. Between them, they have four children and five grandchildren.

“The pandemic made me look at aging and what legacy I wanted to leave once I am gone,” says Joy, who wants her loved ones to have more than memories and photographs to cherish. “I wanted to leave a legacy for my kids that was visual and concrete – something that I created.

To learn more, visit JoyDavisArt.com or search for Joy Davis Artist on Instagram.

Endless Expression

With his mixed-media artwork, Todd K. Fox doesn’t rely on drawn or sculpted faces to convey emotion or connect with viewers. Rather, Todd uses symbolism and even the posture of the figures in his pieces to tell universal stories, leaving almost all of the faces blank.

Artist Todd K. Fox at McRae Art Studios in Orlando

“My works are narrative, and they’re about life in general – about joy and sorrow – because we don’t know one without the other,” says Todd, a 63-year-old Orlando resident.

Todd specializes in mixed-media sculptures and assemblage paintings, all of which he carefully sculpts, builds, and curates. His work is made from a variety of materials including clay, oil paint, found and repurposed objects, textiles, wire, and more.

He derives artistic inspiration from his personal study of African and Caribbean cultures and religions. Todd is drawn to those cultures because his own family tree – which has its roots in Russia – branched out to Cuba where his grandparents once lived.

“I use a lot of Rosary beads [prayer beads] in my work because they’re iconic,” says Todd, who describes himself as spiritual. “People across the board – even Jewish people – are always fascinated with them.”

An Orlando native, Todd has been interested in art since childhood. As a kid, he took drawing, painting, and clay classes and asked for a kiln as a Hanukkah/ Christmas gift when he was 11 years old. That’s also the age when a young friend of Todd’s introduced him to the art of Raku pottery and sculpture, and Todd was immediately hooked on the process of creating and firing the pieces.

“I’ve been enamored with it ever since,” he says. “It’s really the metamorphosis of clay, having something that’s soft and pliable and shapeless and giving it life and shape, and then it becomes hard and much more permanent.”

Todd continued to take art classes as a teenager and graduated from Winter Park High School. He studied at Seminole State College and earned an associate’s degree from Valencia College eventually going on to work in retail management for years. However, Todd kept his hands in art – both figuratively and literally.

For several years, he has been a resident artist at McRae Art Studios in Orlando, Central Florida’s largest artist collective. Todd is also active on the outdoor art festival circuit having participated in numerous shows this year alone in Florida; Chicago, Illinois; and Denver, Colorado.

This fall, Todd’s award-winning artwork will be included in outdoor shows in Florida; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Kansas City, Missouri. His work has also been featured in solo and group shows in galleries and is included in private collections.

Todd intends to continue creating his style of personal, biographical-sharing art while exploring creative new approaches to keep things interesting.

“I always change what I’m doing,” he says. “I keep pushing the envelope.

To learn more, visit ToddKFox.com.

This story was originally published in print in Fall 2023.