Joshua grew up the third of five boys, on 60 acres of woods, wetlands, and pastures in Isanti, Minnesota. His path to becoming a professional artist was as winding as the country roads and nameless creeks from his hometown. It began in the abstract art departments of St. Cloud State and St. John’s University. The summer break offered a unique opportunity to apprentice with Minnesota fresco painter Mark Balma. Joshua chose to continue his training with Mark and later at The Atelier in Minneapolis, focusing on figure and portrait drawing for two years. He spent the next five years at Hurinenko and Paquet Studio in St. Paul, studying portraiture, still life, figure drawing, and Plein air landscape painting. Landscape painting began as an afterthought, but that changed under Joe Paquet’s tutelage. For Joshua, few experiences are as challenging or enriching as painting on location. Landscapes bring him back to his rural roots. 

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.