Joe Ragey

I paint using "alla prima" methods when working on location. I also paint "en studio" using oil, acrylic and water media. My work centers on creating the effects of light found in nature. I often simplify my strokes to an almost abstract level.  I love to paint seascapes and landscapes, capturing the scenic vistas of the stunning California  rocky coastline and inland valleys.  In my studio, working  from small studies I create larger sized paintings. The paintings of French, Russian, American Impressionists, and in particular, the early California Impressionists influences my work. Some of the artist’s I admire include are Joaquin Sorolla, John Singer Sargent, Charles Hawthorne and Guy Rose. It is important for me to capture the unique California light at various times of the day and year, under a variety seasonal weather conditions. I was introduced to the work American Impressionist Henry Hensche by artist friends of mine while  still in college, and traveled to meet with him in Provincetown during the summer of  1985. He graciously took time from his summer workshop to meet with me, showing me his studio, his work and the work of his students. I knew from then on I would embark on a career as a painter in my future.

A Life In Stage Design

My journey towards becoming a full time painter started a very long time ago. I was born in Brooklyn NY in 1950, and grew up in Palm Beach Florida area from age 6. I learned to love the brilliant effects of sunlight sparkling on the ocean. I began to explore oil painting while still in high school and continued studying art, painting, and scenic design in college. My college studies and degree program took me in a very different direction from full time painting.  After completing a BFA in Design & Production, I embarked on a professional career in stage design.  I found myself  being immersed in designs for regional and national theatre companies.  I loved the process of creating living spaces for directors and actors from written scripts because it allowed me to visualize my designs in 3D form. My work included doing drafting, model building and detailed painters elevations using watercolor, powdered pigments, acrylics, casein, aniline dye, and gouache paints. From 1967 to 2016 I worked as a professional  theatrical stage and lighting designer while pursuing easel painting. All this design work tended to be the backdrop for my later-in-life start as a painter. 

The Move West

I settled in California in 1985, married, raised a couple of terrific kids, completed two MFA degrees in Art and Design. For 28 years I taught art, painting drawing graphic design and stage design full time at Foothill College and several other colleges in the San Francisco Area, while I  continued to design professional theatrical sets and painted in my studio whenever I could find time. In my career of theatre work, I designed somewhere around 400 sets for, many plays, musicals, operas and ballets including many regional and world premiers and was lucky enough to receive multiple nominations and awards across the country.

A New Life In Painting  

The lure of painting and the stunning views in California finally called me back to the paint brush and canvas. l began studying the history of the California Impressionists, starting with the biography of  Albert Thomas DeRome. That led me into a new adventure of studying plein air painting. I converted my design studio into a painting studio. I came full circle in my creative work and began to study painting with colorist Camille Przewodek, California's master painter Brian Blood and several other professional artists and I  began to paint full time. Now as I enter my mid 70's I plan to continue to paint as long as I can hold a brush and can still walk down to the sea without falling over. I figure I have another 1000 or more paintings to go yet! 

National and Regional Professional Associations

MBPAPA - Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters Association - Signature Member

AIS American Impressionist Society - Associate Artist

CAC California Art Club - Associate Artist

NOAPS: National Oil, Acrylic Painters Society - Associate Artist

LPAPA: Laguna Plein Air Painters Association - Associate Artist

AWS: American Watercolor Association - Associate Artist

NWS: National Watercolor Society - Artist Artist

SCVWS: Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society - Associate Artist

CWA: California Watercolor Association - Associate Artist

NAWS: North American Watercolor Society - Associate Artist

OPA: Oil Painters of America - Associate Artist

Select listing of Galleries – Exhibitions & Awards  

• "California Dreaming" - Pacific Grove Art Gallery - MBPAPA -2018"Art Needs No Translation" - Natividad Art Gallery, Salinas CA. MBPAPA - 2o18

•  "Art Takes Wing" - Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Art Gallery. Signature Show - MBPAPA -2o17

• "Our Piece of Paradise - Pacific Grove Art Gallery.MBPAPA - 2017

• "Healing Waters –Calming Seas" - Natividad Art Gallery, Salinas CA. MBPAPA - 2o17

• "Art Needs No Translation - Only Interpretation" -Natividad Art Gallery - MBPAPA -  2016

• "Art Takes Wing" - MBPAPA Pacific Grove Art Gallery. MBPAPA - 2016

• "Steinbeck Country" - National Steinbeck Center Art Gallery. MBPAPA - 2016

• Sunnyvale Art Gallery: Ongoing exhibitions and full representation -2014-2017. 

• Laguna Beach Plein Air   - Artists Members Show - 2011 

• Jeniam Center for the Arts - "Forty Year Retrospective - Art  & Design" -Memphis Tenn Jan - March - 2010  

• Lohman Exhibition Gallery - Los Altos Hills – Art & Design Retrospective - February -2010-2011 

• MBPAPA 2009. Signature Member and Vice President -2009-2010 

• Pacific Grove Art League - MBAPA 2007 – Artist Members Group Show 

• Monterey Maritime Museum -MBPAPA 2007 – Painted Memories – Juried Group Exhibit 

• Monterey Bay PAPA 2006- Inaugural Show _ 

• Monterey Art Museum Miniatures Exhibit (invited artist) 2010-02009-2008-2007 

• Euphrat Gallery – Cupertino – Group Art Exhibit: 2004 through 2009 

• Seamans Exhibition Gallery – Los Altos Hills- Group Art Shows – 1998 - 2009

• KCI – Krause Center for Innovation - Los Altos Hills CA – Permanent Exhibit -

• City Hall Gallery Space– Redwood City CA – Plein Air Awards Exhibit

• Hidden Villa Plein Air Paint Out - Honorable Mention, Los Altos Hills

• Grand Hall Gallery - ­Dorothy B Chandler Pavilion- L.A. Group Exhibit–

• Triton Art Gallery - Santa Clara - CA –Emerging Artists Exhibit: 1990

• Santa Clara Arts Council- Artists Fellowship Award & Group Show1990

• Arts Council -Silicon Valley Visual Artists Award 1990

• Bay Area Critics Circle Awards for original designs – Multiple awards -1988-2010

• Norfolk Art Gallery – Norfolk VA - Group Show

• American Heritage Exhibition - National Tour (12 works selected for exhibition)

• National Gallery of Visual & Performing and Arts - NYC - Group Show 1984-85

• Wayne State University - Fellowship – 1972-73

 Academic Work

• Professor of Art and Design - Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA –FT-Tenured -1988-2021

• Taught oil, acrylic and watercolor painting, and classes in observational drawing, 2 & 3D art, digital art, graphic design and performing arts design

• Taught Plein Air Workshops - Summer - Annual 6 week workshops (oil-acrylic- watercolor- 2001-present-Foothill College Fine Art Department.

• Art and Design Workshops taught at SFSU, SJSU, Santa Clara University, San Jose City College. University of Memphis TN, University of Louisville KY

Additional Art and Design Awards, Achievements and Recognition

• CADRE Institute Fellow: Graduate Institute for Computer Art, Design, Research and Education

• Hillberry Graduate Fellowship – Wayne State University - Detroit MI.

• SF Bay Area Critics Circle Awards for Theatrical Design - Multiple awards -1988-2011

• Additional design awards, nominations and citations received in NYC, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Kentucky, Virginia, Australia, Hong Kong Finland, Ireland. 

• Art & designs exhibited at 7 international art & theatre festivals since 1972.

• Theatre Consultant - Memphis, TN, Philadelphia PA, Norfolk VA, Los Altos Hills CA among others. 

Education and Workshops

• Brian Blood - Plein Air workshops - Carmel and Monterey CA –  2009-2010-2011

•  Camille Przewodek - California Plein Air Colorist: Petaluma, CA colorist workshops- 2007 - 2009

• Art Academy University - San Francisco CA - sabbatical studies - painting - 2007-08-09

• San Jose State University, CA- MFA - Art 

• San Francisco State University, CA – MFA - Design

• University of Memphis, TN – BFA - Art & Design & Production

• Charles Miller – Colorist Painting (from the Cape School of Charles Hawthorne and Henry Hensche)

• Anna Nelson - Traditional Still Life Painting studies - AAU - Art Academy University San Francisco

• Jason Bowen - Traditional Landscape Painting studies -AAU - Art Academy University San Francisco

• Shozo Sato Japanese Living Master Artist and Painter - Sumi-e – Japanese Brush Painting Techniques

• Ning Yeh – Chinese Painting Master - Lingnan School of The Art of Chinese Brush Painting- Huntington Beach CA. 2009

Thanks for listening! Hope you enjoy my work.

Cheers
Joe