The Hills are Alive by Joyce Hyam 1978

The Hills are Alive by Joyce Hyam, 1978

This work is a watercolour and ink on paper and measures 64 centimetres tall by 55 centimetres wide. It is a scene of a landscape of rolling hills set against a light blue sky which has a floating, dream-like quality to it. The image is very colourful. The hills are differentiated by the use of two distinct drawing techniques, one being that of lines going back and forth in a diagonal and deliberate way and the other of tiny, almost indistinguishable dots set against hills shaded in deep greens and shades of blue.

On the left-hand side, in the top left-hand corner, stands a lone, tall man with a red top hat, striking a wand or baton into the palm of his hand as one would expect from a conductor of an orchestra or a magician about to pull a rabbit out of his hat. He has a performative quality about him like a showman ready to entertain in both his dress and stance. He has shoulder length hair, bell bottom jeans and wears a bright orange, long sleeved blouse with a pointed collar. He seems to be conducting the scene displayed below, positioned standing on a higher path overlooking and overseeing what is unfolding.

Four water dragons glide across the landscape. One is positioned in the bottom right-hand corner facing right relaxing on a rock. In the centre of the work, on the left-hand side two water dragons rise up towards each other on their hind legs as if about to wrestle or cuddle. The remaining water dragon drifts into the picture from the top right-hand corner and hovers in the sky above the uppermost hill in the landscape. The water dragons have docile expressions on their faces.

In the centre of the work, positioned slightly to the left stand three women who seem to be posing as if for a fashion shoot, or photograph. The figure in the middle wears baggy jeans shoved into knee high brown leather boots, her arms are clasped behind her back, and she leans to the right side with her hip out. The other two women flanking her on either side are both wearing dresses, typical of the fashion of the time in which this work was created in the late 1970s. The women resemble cardboard cut outs inserted into this strange, otherworldly landscape inhabited by proportionally larger water dragons and a family of four red kangaroos. The kangaroos are found on the right-hand side of the group of women, a large red male kangaroo stands on his hindlegs puffing out his chest quizzically looking on whilst the mother and two smaller kangaroos feed on the grass, looking downwards. This artwork is an out of the ordinary scene inhabited by odd characters.

Little is known of artist Joyce Hyam and her artistic practice. Her inclusion in this exhibition, which showcases the work of many underrepresented female artists of the last century, hopes to redress this. This work was donated to the QUT Art Collection by Vivian Harris in 2022 who also edited the publication, A Creative Journey – Selected artworks by Joyce Hyam profiling the Queensland artist’s practice from 1960 to 2008.

The work is displayed in a light oak frame and is not signed or dated. It is shown alongside another work by the artist created in the same year, in the same style entitled Art Class.