The Stars are Made from Love & Beauty

The Stars are Made from Love & BeautyRecognized by art critic Matthew Kangas as one of the Northwest's 'new masters,' and widely collected by museums and art afficionados, painter Joseph "Joe" Francis Reno (b. 1943) came to an early understanding that he would be a lifelong artist. His decision to join the Army in 1962, shortly after graduating from Ballard High School in Seattle, launched him on a formative period in his life, as he found solace in art from the demands of military

Recognized by art critic Matthew Kangas as one of the Northwest's 'new masters,' and widely collected by museums and art afficionados, painter Joseph "Joe" Francis Reno (b. 1943) came to an early understanding that he would be a lifelong artist. His decision to join the Army in 1962, shortly after graduating from Ballard High School in Seattle, launched him on a formative period in his life, as he found solace in art from the demands of military service. By the time he left in 1965, Reno emerged with the clarity and self-understanding that he would live his life dedicated to art.

These excerpts from his journals offer a glimpse of his transformation during 1962-63, while also showcasing his wide-ranging interests in poetics, science, and mysticism. Together, they reveal a relatively unknown side to this fascinating Northwest artist and serve as the third volume in CoCA's Occasional Monograph Series in Artist's Writings, started in 2010.