MEET THE ARTIST: JOE ENGEL
As part of our ‘Meet The Artist’ series, we’d like to introduce an exciting folk artist from the Shenandoah Valley we met during our art-related adventures, Joe Engel.
We love that Joe’s a self-taught artist who has been working professionally since 2009. He incorporates layered collage and acrylic paint on wood to create raw-yet-refined art. His work is passionate, expressive and a bit whimsical. Repeating themes range from city folks to farmers, barns, livestock and bears. (We will forever dream of owning the 6’ tall bear we saw at the Alexandria Art Festival!) Joe’s art is at home in the family room, your basement bar or a kid’s space. Our originals from Joe Engle reside in our bedroom and Mark’s office in the studio. It’s fun to see them every day and they remind us not to take ourselves so seriously.
We enjoy his work so much we wanted to learn more about how he got started and what he finds inspiring. Here’s what he shared…
How did you start making art?
As long as I can remember, I have always been interested in making art. When I was a kid after seeing Star Wars, my dad cut wooden action figures out of plywood with a jigsaw while I would color and draw the characters on the wood. This sparked an interest in creating more art and developing my own characters and ideas.
Although I never went to art school, I started doing art as a profession around 2009. I was living in Middle Tennessee at the time and folk art shows in the South is where I started.
Every time I paint, I am trying to capture a certain euphoria I feel when a piece has turned out well. My work comes to life when I explore the relationship between the existing world and an imaginary one.
Tell me about your current work and process?
My current work incorporates layered collage and acrylic paint on wood panels, starting with simple sketches allows me to experiment and explore ideas and techniques as I work. The combination of dense collage, clean lines and bold color is used to create works that straddle the line between raw and refined.
What do you enjoy when you're not painting?
I enjoy spending time with my wife and son. We live in Staunton Va. and love to hike with our two dogs in the Shenandoah Valley.
When Mark and I were visiting Asheville, NC last year browsing galleries, we were thrilled to see Joe’s work on display at American Folk. It’s so fun to spot a piece from someone you’ve met. The art takes on a whole new significance.
Visit Joe’s website to see more of his graphic and fun work.
BONUS: ART CLASSES IN & NEAR ARLINGTON:
If you’re inspired to take an art class, here’s a list of organizations with great offerings.