Oro Valley Library invites you to view the work of artist Joseph Crowell. The exhibit will be on display from April 15 - May 31, 2024.
Artist Statement:
Painter/Gypsy Wagon Builder/Musician
When I was a kid, I would draw on anything... the walls, furniture, my clothes. At school, I would draw Spiderman and action figures all over my tests. My grades were not very good but the teachers would comment on what a good artist I was. My first art sales came from selling colorful posters out of my locker to my classmates. I enjoyed relieving them of their lunch money and they all wanted my next creation.
I was also very inspired by the etchings of Albrecht Durer and would spend time copying his line drawings of religious images. In my teen years, I became interested in color pencil and got pretty good at making realistic pictures and won some awards along the way. The use of color led me to pastels and I have enjoyed that medium for years.
Through these early years, I did not want to become a starving artist, so I found myself in the building trades to pay my bills. This learned knowledge of general construction was helpful when I eventually ended up building and selling gypsy wagons. I built 25 over the last 10 years and now find that my favorite adventure is to load up food and oils and watercolors into one of my custom trailers and tow it off to some beautiful spot in nature and spend the day hiking and painting. It's a pretty good life.
Images courtesy of the artist
