Joyce van der Hoeven was born in the Netherlands, in the village where Van Gogh painted his 'Potato Eaters'. She started training as a florist, later studying graphic design and taking up oil painting. In 1993 while visiting Wales she started carving into granite and realised she had found her medium. In 1999 she moved to Cornwall and began to focus fully on sculpting. Her work has been exhibited at Cornwall Contemporary in Penzance, and she is also represented by the Summerhouse Gallery, Marazion.