Biography

Biography

"In 1971, when Joel Greene was finishing high school and considering his next step, his father wrote a letter to the Smithsonian Institution, which not long before had begun publishing its flagship magazine. The elder Greene approached the venerable organization for an opinion on which state universities and colleges had the best art departments. The move was a way of satisfying both father and son-- the father wanting a practical, well-rounded education for his offspring, and the son just interested in art. This approach reveals qualities that seem to have been passed down through the Greene family genes: an effective blend of imaginative spunk and methodical order, of pragmatism and passion...

 

Through his paintings and prints, Joel Greene ...maintains a conversation, a lively exchange with the great Modernists of the past. With the New Mexico landscape permeating his experience, this dialogue echoes especially the artistic voices of New Mexico Modernists of the early 20th century, such as Andrew Dasburg, Josef Bakos, and Marsden Hartley. Yet Joel's contribution to the conversation is uniquely his own. As his work has evolved over the years, he has refined a visual vocabulary of swirling shapes and volumetric forms that seem to define the essence of this place and its topography, vegetation, and weather, allowing the viewer to take part in the exchange in an ongoing way. As Ernesto Mayans puts it, 'In changing the reality of painting, Joel Greene is also changing our perception of reality.'"

-Gussie Fauntleroy, author of Joel Greene: New Mexico Modernist, NM Magazine Artist Series

 

Joel Greene was born in Denver in 1953 and raised in Las Vegas, NM. He holds an MFA from the University of Iowa, where he studied under Mauricio Lasansky. His work is in the following collections: Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe; Harwood Foundation, Taos; Roswell Museum and Fine Art Center, Roswell; UNM Museum, Albuquerque; Highlands University Library, Las Vegas, NM; Arizona State University, Tempe; and University of West Virginia Fine Arts Museum, Morgantown.

 

Schools of Study

MFA University of Iowa

 

Partial List of Collections

Museum of Fine Arts, NM

Harwood Foundation, NM

Roswell Museum, NM

Arizona State University, AZ

University of West Virginia Fine Arts Museum, WV

 

Selected Exhibitions

Ernesto Mayans Gallery, 1983 - 2023

 
Works
  • oil painting by Joel Greene
    Joel Greene
    Galisteo Dam (#400), 2001
    oil on board
    14 x 18 inches
    35.6 x 45.7 cm
    signed on face, titled and numbers on reverse
  • oil painting by Joel Greene
    Joel Greene
    Italy (#309), 1999
    oil on board
    12 x 16 inches
    30.5 x 40.6 cm
    Signed on front, titled and numbered on reverse
  • Joel Greene, #1020 Hondo Open Space, 2022
    Joel Greene
    #1020 Hondo Open Space, 2022
    oil on masonite
    16 x 20"
  • Joel Greene, #1050 Hondo Open Space, 2024
    Joel Greene
    #1050 Hondo Open Space, 2024
    oil on masonite
    16 x 20"
  • Joel Greene, #1053 Fallen Branches, 2024
    Joel Greene
    #1053 Fallen Branches, 2024
    oil on masonite
    16 x 20"
  • Joel Greene, #1062 Hondo Open Space, 2024
    Joel Greene
    #1062 Hondo Open Space, 2024
    oil on masonite
    16 x 20"
  • Joel Greene, Building Clouds, 2024
    Joel Greene
    Building Clouds, 2024
    oil on masonite
    17 x 24 inches
    43.2 x 61 cm
  • Joel Greene, Gorge
    Joel Greene
    Gorge
    Oil on masonite panel
    17 x 24 inches
    43.2 x 61 cm
  • Joel Greene, Grey Hill, Cloud, Arroyo
    Joel Greene
    Grey Hill, Cloud, Arroyo
    Oil on masonite panel
    16 x 20 inches
    40.6 x 50.8 cm
  • Joel Greene, Honda Open Space, 2024
    Joel Greene
    Honda Open Space, 2024
    oil on masonite
    16 x 20 inches
    40.6 x 50.8 cm
  • Joel Greene, Lightning
    Joel Greene
    Lightning
    Oil on masonite panel
    22 x 30 inches
    55.9 x 76.2 cm
  • Joel Greene, Mountains, 1994
    Joel Greene
    Mountains, 1994
    Oil on masonite panel
    12 x 16 inches
    30.5 x 40.6 cm
  • Joel Greene, Mountains & Arroyo
    Joel Greene
    Mountains & Arroyo
    Oil on masonite panel
    17 x 24 inches
    43.2 x 61 cm
  • Joel Greene, Pinon Tree, Oil #236, 1997
    Joel Greene
    Pinon Tree, Oil #236, 1997
    oil on masonite
    7 ½ x 10 ¼ inches
    19.1 x 26 cm
    bottom left corner
  • Joel Greene, Rail Trail, 2020
    Joel Greene
    Rail Trail, 2020
    oil on masonite
    14 x 18 inches
    35.6 x 45.7 cm
  • Joel Greene, Rail Trail, 2022
    Joel Greene
    Rail Trail, 2022
    oil on masonite
    16 x 20 inches
    40.6 x 50.8 cm
  • Joel Greene, Sandia Crest, 2015
    Joel Greene
    Sandia Crest, 2015
    oil on panel
    17 x 24 inches
    43.2 x 61 cm
  • Joel Greene, Trees
    Joel Greene
    Trees
    Oil on masonite panel
    20 x 15 ¾ inches
    50.8 x 40 cm
  • Joel Greene, Winter Clouds, 2016
    Joel Greene
    Winter Clouds, 2016
    oil on masonite
    17 x 24 inches
    43.2 x 61 cm
Exhibitions