Drawing his inspiration from his home in Spirit Lake, ID, Joe works in oils. His paintings have an old world feel that has been influenced by the 19^th century French academic style and the Luminism and Tonalism techniques of the Hudson River School of painting.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest with it’s beautiful scenery and abundant wildlife Joe was exposed to a historic past that included accounts of Native Americans, Pioneers, Mountain Men, Trappers and more. All of which shaped his love of the subject matter he paints today. Traveling to historic sites, national parks and the mountains if Idaho, Montana and Wyoming each year he studies and gathers reference photos and information on the animals and scenery portrayed in his work.

As a youth, Joe would draw every day. His room and home were plastered with drawings and sketches and there was no doubt in his mind he was going to be a successful artist. His senior year was filled with five of six periods of art, including the artist for the school newspaper. Following high school he enrolled in an art program at a local college. Before the year was complete he had come to the conclusion that the emphasis in his courses was toward expression rather than method. Wanting to learn to paint like the old masters, not the modernists he left art school and entered the world of sales where he had nothing to do with art for twelve years. At which time he decided to start drawing again. Nothing too serious, just a few drawings for family and friends. By year sixteen of leaving art school Joe had discovered pastels had been developing his skills in this new medium selling some of his early works and entering his first art shows. He was also approached by his first galleries. Experiencing a bit of success he made the decision to change companies and took a job as an area manager for an auto finance company, allowing him to work from home. This new job had the added benefit of overseeing the Eastern Washington, Idaho and Montana territory. While in the field one week each month servicing accounts his camera was always by his side. As he encountered and photographed wildlife he would go home and use the images to create paintings. It was also during this time he discovered oil paints. He quickly learned he could create light and mood in an oil painting that he could not achieve in a pastel and there was no limit to size in oil like there where with pastels.

His galleries where accepting of the new work and the new medium. Twenty years after leaving art school Joe was offered his first one man show. He brought seventeen new works and sold all but one. He was ready to paint full time. 

Mission Statement:

As an artist in the 21^st century I strive to create paintings that embody the aesthetic and objective standards of the 19^th century European academic art world. In other words it is my hope to create works that will have a timeless beauty.

Over the past 130 years standards in art have been reduced to expression and relativism over sound method and visual excellence. Society has been convinced that representational academic art is somehow intellectually inferior, outdated and irrelevant when compared to modern or abstract art. Worse yet, we have been conditioned not to question. I for one have never been convinced that because I don’t “get” the canvas painted blue with a white stripe selling for $41,000,000.00 or the empty room with a light flashing winning the 2001 Turner Prize that I am somehow lacking intellectually. What I do “get” is I have always enjoyed looking at and studying a well-executed painting. I have also come to realize that most people are of the same mind. That is why I am driven to paint in the manner I do. To bring what I can of academic realism back to the art world. I paint paintings that would appeal to me where I looking to buy a painting.

I am referred to as a self-taught artist, but I prefer to say I am self-educated. Hundreds of hours have been spent and many hundreds more will be spent studying the old and living masters, color theory, anatomy, composition, classical drawing methods, classical painting methods, perspective, physics of light and much more. I’ve read many books, perused countless websites and read many articles regarding the subjects I paint. Travel to locations to study and photograph scenery, animals and models for paintings has become a main ingredient in each work. I have developed processes to complete my paintings. Processes that get reworked and restructured with experience and knowledge.

If I where asked who I do this for I would answer, primarily it is for me, then my family. I have been fortunate to have others find beauty or have an emotional connection with what I do. So, paintings get purchased and others are able to take my creations and a piece of me with them to enjoy. I owe it to those people, my family and myself to strive to get better with each work I complete. There are very few people in this world who can say if they never got paid again to do what they do for a living that they would continue to do it every chance they got. I would. I have been blessed to be able to do what I have a passion for.

Joe Kronenberg