Ellinwood artist Robert Joy’s art, which will be featured at the Shafer Art Gallery’s Oct. 2nd opening, can be identified loosely as having an ever-moving and ever-morphing style. In a fairly current phase of his artistic mood, there has been a focus on the insect world.

"My art is just a mood and a feeling. I was just inspired to draw them when I was drawing something else at some point," Joy said. My focus on bugs is going to disappear eventually, and it will change into something else. It’s just an evolution and now bugs are a part of that."

The upcoming gallery show, "Endangered Journey: Monarch Migrations," is the perfect place to showcase the artist’s unique and unorthodox style. Joy will display several insect-scapes composed of multiple small drawings that will be pieced together in the gallery.

Joy’s drawings of insects offer an unofficial, unique perspective of the creatures.

"I’m definitely not an authority figure on insects. I even make some of them up," he said.

To say that Joy enjoys artistic creation might be an understatement.

"I’ve been an artist all of my life, and since I’ve been retired, I can do it all the time. It’s just a passion. I’ve got to draw. All the time. Day and night," Joy said.

The 68-year-old Joy said his style as it exists today can be attributed to his personal approach to his art.

"I was a horrible artist until about 10 years ago, when I stopped trying to imitate other people and imitate other things and make people happy," he said. "I decided to just do what comes out of my head."