Artist Member Spotlight: Joe Burger
Joe Burger is a self-described newcomer to the art world. He began his foray as an artist with colored pencil and has branched out into watercolor. Joe has shown his artwork in Arts Center East’s Animalia Exhibit and the 8th Annual ACE Artist Members Exhibit, as well as other exhibits around Connecticut and Massachusetts. His artwork is not limited to any particular subject, but his time spent working in drafting and aerospace is often evident.

As a child, Joe dreamed of being a pilot and enjoyed drawing airplanes. “Before I was 15 I had painted 4 large aircraft o the basement walls. But I had zero interest in formal art theory or history.” When he grew older, Joe used his talents working as an engineer at Hamilton Standard. “I worked as a designer ‘on the boards,’ as they say, doing layout drawing and analyses for turbo machinery such as jet engine starters and cabin air conditioning and pressurization systems. It was natural for me.” Joe later moved on to work in nuclear power, but clearly never lost his artistic eye.
Joe is building his community in the art world through teaching and friendship. “I am grateful to local artists for all they have taught me and for their friendship: Doug Gillette, Robert O’Brien, and most importantly, my all-time favorite watercolorist, Art Scholz. Another recent impressionistic watercolorist is instructor Allan James of Deep River CT. I am hoping to move a bit in the impressionistic direction in future works.”
In his current work, Joe sometimes works from photos for reference, but often just creates the composition himself. “I am not limited to any particular subject, although I leave the floral work to others. Still life compositions are not my favorite either. Often I like to imply a story in my work.” Joe’s Holding Traffic, for instance, conveys a particularly amusing story to viewers. It’s this penchant for story telling that has made Joe’s works so popular, and, in some cases, quick to sell. Although, Joe may be the first to be critical of his own work. “I try to follow the basic rules of good composition. But I have my stack of failed paintings.” Joe’s paintings are some of the favorites among the ACE Artist Members, and we look forward to seeing what story he tells next.
More of Joe’s work can be seen on his website. joseph-burger.pixels.com
