Joseph Paquet’s original scene paintings include a modern marriage of Ash-can frankness with Edward Hopper’s ability to distill the melancholic and beautiful potential in the prosaic: observing contemporary American life mid-stride.

Inspiration for his work comes not from drunkards or slum-dwellers, nor from the sophisticated venues of the well-heeled crowd, but from the people and places in the middle. Literally, a majority of his subjects originate from the Midwestern factories and neighborhoods surrounding his home in Minnesota where he finds earnest harmony in the unrehearsed — and at times ramshackle — reality of the working class.

Having grown up in a similarly intermediate household with little room for pretense, Paquet connects personally to the phenomena of towns and lives forming around centers of industry. He finds a spiritual and visual beauty in the humble rhythms of daily life, free of ostentation.

Through an adept handling of light, form, and hue; Paquet connects his viewer to the patterns, designs and colors he sees in muddy snowbanks, unkempt lawns and working fishing vessels, making their visual (and perhaps philosophical) appeal more plain. He invites his viewers to join in his appreciation of the beauty in life’s organic attrition.

Paquet paints color directly onto the canvas with the intention of letting each mark stand as part of the final conceived whole. This part-intuitive, part-deliberate painting method allows him to execute large scale works on site, confidently conveying his visual and emotional observation of a particular scene. A highly-skilled draftsman, he employs softened edges and carefully placed spots of bright color to suggest the forms they represent rather than vigorously delineate them. The result is a series of challenging, yet harmonious compositions that invite viewers’ prolonged examination and enjoyment.

— Julia Bangert, Assistant Gallery Director, Tree’s Place

News

October 2008 - Joe has recieved the Crystal Cove Alliance Costal Splendor 2008 Third Place Award for Crystal Garages

October 2008 - Nine new paintings are available. These are from the 10th Annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Invitational.

August 2008 - Several publications have interviewed Joe recently, The California Art Club Newsletter and The Villager, you can read the full articles reprinted here.

July 2008 - Joe received the Edgar Payne Award for Best Landscape from the California Art Club, 97th Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition, additionally awarded the Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine Award of Excellence He has also received the J. Alden Bryan Memorial Prize from the Salmagundi Club, New York — Annual Members' Exhibition.