As long as I can remember, I’ve loved to draw. That love led me to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where I studied Advertising with a minor in Illustration/Fine Art. After college, I spent many years working professionally in the visual arts, primarily in art direction and graphic design, while always keeping my own art practice alive through painting in watercolor and acrylic.

     Today, my work brings together three passions that have stayed with me along the way: my love of light and shadow, the timeless look of classic lithographic design, and my lifelong connection to beach culture. These influences come together in artwork that is meant to capture not just a place, but a feeling—the relaxed, nostalgic feeling of life along the coast.

- Joe Cladis