Biography
Joel Rea, Born 1983.
Artist Insights
Fascinated by the natural world, Joel Rea paints the pulsing elemental forces of our planet interplaying with human relationships formed in our society and consciousness. Driven to explore universal meanings around the human condition, Joel is also interested in depicting the underlying inner forces which drive human behaviour. He presents these narratives visually through the use of vivid surreal landscapes, seascapes, animals and self portraiture. Joel also harvests ideas from his dreams and draws subject matter from his life journey and his own personal struggle to become a professional painter, a life long ambition which was many times nearly derailed by the unpredictable turmoil of his years coming of age as a young man.
Joel's commitment, work ethic and focused passion for painting prevailed and he was met with immediate success upon exhibiting his work in a commercial gallery space in 2004. Slowly executed with an impeccable skill level, his technique requires long hours of intense concentration, with some of his finest brushes containing only several hairs. The surface result of his paintings are a smooth flawless finish, saturated with details demonstrating his mature abilities as a painter both thoughtful and technical. He is driven to create the strongest aesthetic result possible within his work by committing long hours into pre-visualization and design. Joel obsessively searches through all different types of media to find the reference material needed to make his oil paintings, he stages extensive photo shoots and meticulously edits in the design process until confident enough to commence brush to canvas. Some artistic endeavours have seen Joel spending up to 750 hours on one painting alone.
Professional Recognition
Joel was the Highly Commended Runner Up in the 2011 Metro Gallery Art Award in Victoria, and a finalist in both the 2011 Prometheus and Clayton Utz Art Award in Queensland. Joel was also a finalist in the 2010 Redland Gallery Biennial Contemporary Painting Award in Queensland, and for the second year running the 2012 Clayton Utz Art Award in which he was also awarded a high commendation from the judges.
In 2012 Joel held his 5th solo exhibition in Brisbane, the major painting from the exhibition was curated into 'Art on Art' at the Gold Coast City Art Gallery. Joel was the winner of the 2011 Gold Coast Rotary Young Achiever in Vocational Excellence and holds a Bachelor of Fine Art Degree from the Queensland College of Art, graduating in 2003.
CV
Joel Rea
b.1983
Lives and works in Queensland, Australia
Studies
2001 - 2003
Bachelor of Fine Art Graduate, Queensland College of Art, Griffith University
Awards & Prizes
2013 Finalist, Salon Des Refuses, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
2012 Highly Commended, Clayton Utz Art Award, Brisbane
2012 Semi-Finalist, Moran Portrait Prize, Sydney
2011 Highly Commended, Metro Art Award, Melbourne
2011 Winner, Gold Coast Rotary Young Achiever in Vocational Excellence, Fine Art
2011 Finalist, Prometheus Visual Art Award, Gold Coast
2011 Finalist, Clayton Utz Art Award, Brisbane
2010 Finalist, Metro Art Award, Metro Gallery, Melbourne
2010 Finalist, Redland Gallery Art Award, Biennial Contemporary Painting Competition, Cleveland
2003 Awarded Golden Key International Honour Society membership for outstanding scholastic achievement and excellence.
2003 Granted the Griffith Award for academic excellence in Fine Art, Queensland College of Art.
Solo Exhibitions
2012, Existence of Reality, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2010, Monuments and Miniatures, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2009, The Balance Divine, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2007, Where There's Fire, Art Melbourne07, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
2006, High Fidelity, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
Exhibitions
2013
Salon Des Refuses, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
2012
Clayton Utz Art Award Finalists Exhibition, Brisbane
San Diego Contemporary Art Fair, California, USA
Art on Art, Group Exhibition, Gold Coast City Art Gallery
Art Melbourne 2012, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
Existence of Reality, Solo Exhibition, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2011
Metro Gallery Art Award Finalists Exhibition, Melbourne
Art Melbourne11, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
Clayton Utz Art Award Finalists Exhibition, Brisbane
Lethbridge 10000 Art Award Finalists Exhibition, Brisbane
Prometheus Visual Art Award Finalists Exhibition, Gold Coast
2010
Art Sydney10, Royal Hall of Industries, Sydney
Redland Gallery Art Award, Biennial Contemporary Painting Competition, Finalists Exhibition, Cleveland
Solo Exhibition, Monuments and Miniatures, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
Metro Art Award Finalists Exhibition, Metro Gallery, Melbourne
Group Exhibition, Astras Galleries, Gold Coast
Netanya Resort Conference, Hastings Street, Noosa
2009
Solo Exhibition, The Balance Divine, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
Group Exhibition, Coda Gallery, Palm Desert, California, USA
Art Melbourne 09, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
Preview Show, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2008
Art Sydney08, Royal Hall of Industries, Sydney
Art Brisbane08, Convention & Exhibition Centre, Brisbane
Art Melbourne08, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
Preview Show, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2007
Art Sydney07, Royal Hall of Industries, Sydney
Preview Show, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
Solo Exhibition, Where There's Fire, Art Melbourne07, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
Preview Show, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2006
Solo Exhibition High Fidelity, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
Sajen Legal Art Show, Maroochydore, Sunshine Coast
Art Melbourne06, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
Preview Show, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
St. Margaret's Art Show, Ascot, Brisbane
Art Sydney06, Royal Hall of Industries, Sydney
2005
Brisbane Art Fair, Convention & Exhibition Centre, Brisbane
Art Sydney05, Royal Hall of Industries, Sydney
Melbourne Affordable Art Show, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
Preview Show, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2004
Mentorship, Brett Lethbridge, Brisbane
Departure Lounge Group Exhibition, Gold Coast
Border Art Prize, Tweed River Art Gallery
Travel/Gallery Research
2008
Musee Du Louvre / Musee d'Orsay, Paris, France. The National Gallery, London, England. Guggenheim, Venice, Italy. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Uffizi Gallery / Galleria Nazionale del Bargello, Florence, Italy. Dali Museum, Barcelona, Spain.
