Fall and Rise - August 20, 2011

At a very young age, we’re taught that if we fall down trying to accomplish something we should get back up and try again. Learning to walk is a perfect example, as the bumps and bruises from repeatedly collapsing to the ground soon give way to smiles and a newfound independence in mobility. Nobody just hands us the key to walking. We earn it.  Each and every one of us, regardless of the social or economical status we’re born into, earns it.   Maybe we can’t recall how good it felt the day we made it across the living room floor on our own two feet, but in life, we’ll have plenty other opportunities to reach our rewards as we stumble, fall and fight like hell to get back up. 

As we get older, the falls we take are usually harder, often unexpected, and more difficult to recover from.  Rather than leave scars on our hands and knees, they leave us bleeding emotionally.  More importantly, what we do afterward can determine the course of our lives moving forward. The work for Joe’s “Fall and Rise” examines the fall and the moment of self restoration and enlightenment upon picking oneself up, as opposed to falling back down and falling apart.

“:01 represents one second.  In times of adversity, it only takes a single second to decide you’re going to pick yourself up and move forward in a positive direction, regardless of the circumstances involved. :01 means never give up. Stay the course. Believe in who you are. Embrace the next challenge and begin a new chapter.”

Joe’s art can be found in both public spaces and in galleries. His stenciling technique, which he describes as “drawing with an Exacto blade”, is completely his own, and it’s evidenced within the styling of his works. His cuts are proportionate and clean, yet painterly and imperfect. His subject matter varies according to his daily inspirations, from large-scale portraits of children recognizing their importance to society and this planet’s future; to faceless characters that appear at a crossroads somewhere in between victory and defeat; to people “floating and drifting” away with elation and self restoration; and to his more recent textural paintings of ropes and chains, things that Joe finds symbolic of strength and unity, rather than restraint and oppression. Regardless of the subject matter, Joe’s adamant about creating socially conscious work that speaks to the times.