Historical information

Sydney Joy (joy) Stewart (1925-2018) was a founding member of the Kew Historical Society, and during the 1970s its secretary. During her residence in Kew, she completed numerous property illustrations on commission. These ranged from preliminary sketches, including architectural details to finished pen & ink and wash illustrations on paper. On moving to Queensland, Joy Stewart donated the remaining property illustrations in her possession to the Kew Historical Society. In 1987-88, she fulfilled a commission by the Society of designs for a series of embroideries completed by residents during the Australian Bicentennial commemorations.

Significance

Sydney Joy (Joy) Stewart was born in Melbourne 1925. She studied at Swinburne Technical College Art School from 1941-1945, then the National Gallery Art School 1946-1948. Her career included employment positions as a display artist, designer/painter, gallery assistant, and art teacher. Joy relocated to Cairns in 1981. Solo exhibitions in Melbourne and Cairns, including 'Done By Me' at Cairns Regional Gallery in 1999. Group exhibitions at Cairns Regional Gallery, 'The Fish John West Regrets, 1993' and 'Facets of Life' 1994. Joy Stewart died in Cairns in 2018.

Physical description

Watercolour, pen & Ink on paper by the artist and local historian Joy Stewart of a distinctive two-storey Victorian-era house in Peel Street, Kew.

Inscriptions & markings

Inscription: "Peel Street, Kew." Signed lower right: "JStewart 1978"