Joe was born in Ogden, Utah in 1971. Years later his family moved to Vancouver, Washington where he grew up. Joe loved the beauty of the Pacific Northwest but was always drawn to the Southwest deserts and spent many of his winter and summer vacations in Southern Utah.
His creativity was first noticed as a young child when his grandmother found him at the kitchen table sketching a bird sitting outside the window. The next day she surprised him with a gift to encourage his interest in drawing. It was a bird book full of reference images for future sketches. This gift inspired him and throughout his childhood he spent countless hours sketching on any blank piece of paper he could find. While in high school, he sold his drawings and did commissioned portraits to earn money for art supplies and oil painting classes. Joe was strongly influenced by masters like Charles M. Russell, Fredric Remington, Norman Rockwell, Robert Bateman, and his personal tutor Stan Capon. He would regularly visit the local library and check out any books he could find about his favorite artists and then study every brush and pencil stroke to help advance his drawings and paintings.
Joe Day
After graduating, Joe found success in the corporate business world for 20 years. However, his busy schedule rarely allowed him to follow his true passion for fine art. He spent many evenings sketching and painting but rarely got the time to complete large works. Joe longed to pursue his passion and patiently waited for the right timing. “I dreamed of becoming a full-time artist, so I started working towards that. Finally, after supporting our three children through college, my wife and I decided it was time to make a change. With my family’s blessing, I resigned from my job to pursue art full-time.”
“Using pencils and oils to capture the beauty of the American West has been my desire for a very long time. The focus of my artistic work has always been to create wonder, excitement, and appreciation for the beauty that surrounds me. I intend to use my art to tell a story about the subjects that have always captured my attention and given me pleasure; particularly the wildlife, landscapes, and people of the American West. I want the viewer to feel the drama, mystery, and atmosphere of a western life. I want them to get lost in the brush strokes of a painting and the pencil lines of a graphite drawing.” He is touched by the contrasting majesty and humility of nature and considers his work successful when the viewer is equally touched.
Joe’s work can be recognized by his precise detail, realistic authenticity, and the ability to capture the spirit of his subject. His drawings and paintings have a photographic realism, but also project three dimensional depth through form, values, and contrast.
He has been invited and included in national shows, exhibits, and art auctions; and his work is in private collections throughout the country. Joe and his wife presently live in Peoria, Arizona.