Born in Denver, Joel grew up in Las Vegas, NM, where his father taught psychology and behavioral science at New Mexico Highlands University. His mother was a pharmacist and homemaker who raised three children. She was a devoted supporter of his interest in art. Joel attended the University of Iowa. His years at Iowa included not only intense training but also wild artistic experimentation. Unfettered enthusiasm as a student may have kept him in the studio for long stretches, but Joel’s methodical, studious approach to the process of printmaking resulted in his serving as a teaching assistant for two years. His master’s thesis was the creation of a print-shop manual that teaching assistants and students used for years afterward. Joel’s study of art history opened a window into the world of Modernism. It served as a jumping off point for his artistic sensibilities from that time forward. Through his paintings and prints Joel maintains a lively exchange with the great Modernist of the past. With the New Mexico landscape permeating his experience, this dialogue echoes especially the artistic voices of New Mexico Modernists of the early 20th century, such as Andrew Dasburg, Jozef Bakos and Marsden Hartley, yet Joel’s contribution to the conversation is uniquely his own. See for yourself, especially if you happen to be in northern New Mexico: after absorbing Joel’s imagery, step outside. Look around at the juniper, the hills, the sky. Chances are they will transform before your eyes into the shapes and rhythms of Joel’s work.