Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joseph Watson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Joseph, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I first wanted to pursue a creative / artistic path professionally in 1989. I was a teenage kid with a twisted understanding on what a professional art career encompassed. Up until that time, knowing who designed my favorite animated characters, toys, movie posters, cars and clothing remained a mystery. Mainly, airbrushing T shirts and graffiti art was my understanding of the options where to apply my talent. Fortunately, after high school one day, I walked into a custom shop that was owned by the widely known “Mister Cartoon”. He was kind enough to enlighten me with what careers are out there for artists and where to go to school to obtain the skill needed to pursue that path. He suggested that I attend Los Angeles Trade Technical College to study sign painting and open up a booth at a swap meet to airbrush T Shirts for side income. I took his advice, which is the beginning of my professional art career.
Joseph, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Joseph Watson. I am a painter and illustrator that lives in Henderson, NV. As mentioned before, I started my early career in art doing airbrush T Shirts and then moved on to becoming a sign painter. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the career that I felt comfortable doing for the rest of my life. While at trade school, I discovered another college that I would later attend and graduate from by the name of Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA. This was a pivotal moment for me as an artist. During my attendance at this school, I discovered the paths that it will take to design the characters of my favorite animated shows, toy designs, illustrating movie posters, children’s books and doing paintings that will be exhibited in galleries, and much more. The knowledge gained from this school allowed me to design toys at Mattel, create concepts for video game companies, helped get a Cirque Du Soleil show green-lit, illustrate children’s books and eventually open up my own art gallery which I ran for 12 years. My current services include children’s book illustration, commissioned paintings and creating works of art for licensing purposes. I am most proud of projects that make a positive difference in people’s lives. Usually, children’s books and painting are the perfect outlet for this. If you are looking for imagery that truly inspires the audience and offers a sense of hope, then you should look into my work.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Yes, I am definitely driven by goals and missions on my creative journey. My mission is to positively impact the people who view my art, but on a broader scale. For years, I have successfully exhibited and sold my art to collectors as well as do many commissioned pieces. Through licensing, exhibiting nationally and internationally, as well as launching new collaborations with companies and individuals that share a similar vision will help me facilitate this mission. Essentially, it comes down to visibility, accessibility and alignment to my audience.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Truthfully, pivoting is a routine exercise that I practice as a professional artist in my field. With the advancement of tech and the new mindset of consumers, I always find myself adapting to stay accessible and relevant. I’m sure that many folks had a similar situation with pre and post Covid. I ran my own art gallery in the Las Vegas Arts District for 12 years. When Covid hit, our foot traffic was greatly reduced, and the appetite of the collector wasn’t as strong. My expenses remained the same while my sales were reduced. Ironically, I was getting several new opportunities that were offered to me. These ranged from illustrating children’s books, to doing commissioned paintings that hang permanently in Raiders Stadium and having a 6-library touring art exhibit. These new opportunities reinforced my decision to close the gallery and focus on completing all of these new projects, right from my home studio.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.josephwatsonart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josephwatsonart/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/josephwatsonart/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/josephwatsonart
- Other: https://www.gogogreta.com/
Image Credits
Rubin Martinez Photography took my bio pic.