Art Chowder September | October 2017, Issue 11 | Page 9

When Joe left school and accepted an
employment position in the sales in-
dustry, he did not touch a paint brush
again for twelve years. He made a
couple of sketches for friends and
family, and later discovered pastels.
He began occasionally selling his
work and entering art shows.
Employed in auto finance, Joe over-
saw a territory that canvassed Eastern
Washington, Idaho and Montana.
Once a week he drove the territory,
a camera by his side. As he encoun-
tered wildlife, he snapped photos and
used the images to create paintings.
It was during this time that he began
experimenting with oil paints. He
learned he could create light and
mood in an oil painting that could
not be achieved with pastel, and there
was no limit to size. Joe found him-
self increasingly committed to two
full-time jobs—sales, and creating art
in his evening spare time.
“The sacrifice was to
lose sleep and be
consumed by art.”
September | October 2017 9