Some of Joe's earliest memories are camping trips to the Eastern High Sierras and
taking walks with his father down the railroad tracks to the rabbit fields near his home.
This was his wilderness as a child and he credits his father for his early introduction to
nature and the outdoors.
Joe's first art instruction began early in school when he would receive instruction on how
to create shadows on simple shapes using a pencil and paper. This really began Joe's
enthusiasm for drawing. One summer while visiting an art fair in Mammoth Lakes
California he came across some drawings by Helen Seal, a southern California artist.
The beautiful simplicity of her High Sierra sketches made a lasting impression on the
young artist. At that moment he says, "This was something I knew I wanted to do." His
mother recognizing his obvious enthusiasm purchased one of her drawings, which still
hangs in his studio. He admires contemporary artists such as Clyde Aspevig, Matt Smith
and T. Allen Lawson as well as many others.
Joe is best known for his landscapes. He is greatly influenced by the changing of
seasons and weather, and the more dramatic the weather, the more inspired he feels.
" Light on the landscape and the way it plays with and reveals its forms and color is
extremely seductive to me. Painting on location and in the studio is a way I can interact,
participate and respond to the magnificence I see in nature." Joe celebrates the moods
each season brings and he works on location often to accurately see and capture the
changing light.
Joe is a signature member with the Pastel Society of America and In 2007 The Pastel
Society of the West Coast elected Joe to "Distinguished Pastelist." His work has been
published in the Pastel Journal’s “The Years Best” in 2004, 2005 and 2009. His collectors
include film producer Lawrence Kasden and actor Kevin Kneeland. His work has
exhibited in the Napa Valley Art Museum and hangs in private collections throughout the
United States.
Photo: Carl Mancuso