Joyce Treasure is a mixed media and multi-media artist who has gained her skills through short courses and practical art-based work experience in London.

Joyce was born in 1965 in Stourbridge, West Midlands.  She came to London when she was 18, where she worked for a company making Art Deco and Art Nouveau lamps from resin. She was heavily influenced by the artist Aubrey Beardsley, and this is reflected in her appreciation of graphic art forms. After completing a silversmith course Joyce set up a jewellery company in 1987, which ran successfully for twelve years. To promote her work, she took a course in photography and shot her own designs for marketing. She also worked on crew and in the wardrobe department in various West End theatres.

In 1997 after the birth of daughter Freya, Joyce moved away from silversmithing. She embarked on a new career inspired by her work in the theatre. Writing had been a passion since childhood and she took a course at Holland Park, Birkbeck adult learning in scriptwriting. Shortly afterwards she was chosen as one of five winners of a Bollywood scriptwriting competition, where her film Be Mine was funded by the BBC and ABI, and directed by Esther May Campbell. At the same time she was employed as a freelance prop maker/dresser working with various design companies in south east London until 2005.

Joyce’s scriptwriting achievement led her to work in schools for six years as a facilitator, teaching filmmaking to primary and secondary school children. She worked with a wide range of children and adults with varying learning capabilities and socially diverse backgrounds.  During this period she completed courses in film directing, editing and documentary with Four Corners, Raindance and an intensive documentary course with Mediamatic and International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, which led to freelance work with various organisations.

In March 2007 Joyce set up Treasure Films as a ‘not for profit’ venture to enable her and other experienced facilitators, employed on a freelance basis, to work with young people and members of the community in making films and working with digital technology.

The issues covered and the whole experience of setting up and running Treasure Films propelled Joyce to consider and tackle social issues, evolving a more esoteric and philosophical outlook, which in turn has helped form the basis to some of her current work. She plans to continue to use this fertile transitory period to help her develop techniques to further support her artwork.

In December 2010 Joyce gained funds from the Lewisham’s Mayor’s Fund to help set up Sydenham Film Club. The club was put together by Phoenix Fry from Deptford Film Club and Joyce, and is now run by a small team to enable the local community to come together and enjoy affordable film.

Alongside her progress as an artist, Joyce helps to run Sydenham Film Club and continues to work as a freelance art facilitator.