Joseph is an autodidactic, self-taught artist whose passion for pastels and oil painting emerged later in life. Though he always enjoyed visiting art museums, he never imagined he would one day become an artist himself. That changed when a colleague noticed the expressive stick figures he sketched at work. Unbeknown to Joseph, she was an artist and after sharing his drawings with her informal art group, their instructor urged her to encourage Joseph to continue exploring his talent. That moment became the spark that ignited his artistic journey.
Influenced by the 19th-century Impressionist movement, Joseph's work reflects a deep sensitivity to light, atmosphere, and human perception. His paintings feature thin, small, and broad strokes that echo the rhythm and spontaneity of Impressionism. Through bold
color gradations and nuanced transitions of tone, he evokes emotion, movement, and the subtle interplay between memory and experience.
Joseph lives in Midwest City, Oklahoma with his wife. After completing his military service- including deployment to Vietnam- he returned home to pursue higher education. He earned a BA from Langston University, a Historically Black College, and later a Master's Degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Kansas. Joseph retired from the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri, where he evaluated Veterans for post-traumatic stress disorder. He credits his years of counseling Veterans as a profound influence on his artistic development, shaping both the emotional depth and introspective nature of his work.
A Life Member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. He was initiated on September 17, 1979 through Omicron Xi Chapter, Kansas City, Missouri. He is also a Life Member of The Disable American Veterans Organization. His life's path-military service, social work, and artistic discovery-continues to inform a body of work rooted in resilience,perception, and beauty found in lived experience.