Preferring grace over style, message over technique, and story over extravagance, Joe seeks to create work with integrity and authenticity at its core.
Born and raised in East Los Angeles, a proud Angeleno, Joe’s serpentine road through college began studying engineering at Cornell and finished with a BFA in Illustration from Long Beach State. Only months from leaving school, Joe took his wares to New York and secured a book contract after his first meeting with a publisher. He’s been illustrating books ever since. Joe is the award-winning illustrator of more than thirty books for children while continuing to create images for magazines and other publications, as well as keeping an eager eye to the ever-changing landscape of illustration.
Joe started out illustrating other people’s stories, but, now is entrenched in writing his own.
A sought-after presenter to schools and conferences, Joe relishes every new opportunity to share his experience and advocate for his craft.
Joe is the past president of the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, SILA.