Joe Monroe

I was born in Hoopeston, Ill in the year of 1959, Jan. 12. First son of 3 siblings. I took art in Hoopeston JR. HIgh and In SR.. High , After graduating I attended IllInoIs State UnIversIty where I majored in Art. I moved to San Francisco where I continued painting on my own.. Four Years Later I moved to L..A. In 1983, I began sellIng work on my own, It was beginner's luck of an emerging artist and the word got out...... I moved into a large StudIo .....and sold an amazing amount of work. I did shows for Fashion weeks In Downtown L.A,, ... showed in Downtown artist's shows . I was one of the first artists to begin showing in restaurants and coffee houses back in 1984-94.I almost had a show a month. The response was like showing in a gallery..... there was so much exposure in L.A. that I became a known artist by selling lots of work. I was taken in by Patton /Duvall Gallery , L..A. ,C.A..... Dyanson Gallery, L.A CA.....Sherwood Gallery, Laguna Beach, Ron L.. Stevenson Gallery in La Jollya, A. Allen Gallery in Palm Springs and the Dianne Stevenette in Los Olivos......from the response I began showing in all these galleries at the same time. Showing in the Stiener Gallery in Miami Beach at the same time showing in the Susanne Brown Gallery in Scottsdale AR.,., Portland Oregon . At a certain point I had to face my HIV Status with a series of deadly diseases one right after the other It began with Encephalitis , losing my ability to walk, was told I need to move to a hospice, a month later I faced Lymphoma cancer with a lump in my neck, I caught it early or it would have moved to my brain.. that episode was 6 months of chemo - therapy. somehow through visual aids in L,.A. I found out about Visual Aids in N.Y.,N Y . I joined immediately and was chosen for different calendars and felt I was involved as I left most of my Galleries. Also at that point to stay relevant I did Illustrations monthly for the News Magazine "Positive Living". Four years later I received the special award of "Volunteer of the Year". I was very humbled. I was told through my working pro-bono with almost all the HIV organizations, that I had made a million dollars over the last 15 years for these organizations. As I got better I began non stop painting and through different agencies of the HIV Community sold many paintings and that landed me in Paris. for family reasons I moved back to Illinois and showed in the "Alley Gallery" in Danville Ill. As the family healed, I moved to Santa Fe , New Mexico, where I have taken up my non stop painting and now with enough paintings I am ready for a gallery , which I am looking for right now. My HIV is under control and in May it will be 28 years of having HIV/AIDS. I am still working with Visual Aids and still fundraising for Southwest Care Center. I am ready for any project that someone would like me to do. My artwork is below. I call my style Naive Whimsical pop art.