ABOUT
Joe Ceballos was born and raised in Los Angeles, where he was inspired by the resurgence of realist art that was being propagated by illustrators and concept artists working in the entertainment and film industry. After earning his BFA in Illustration at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to work in Visual Effects, digitally creating realistic environments and concept designs for numerous feature films, commercials, episodic television, and interactive media projects. He is currently a lead concept artist working on applications of new technologies and interactive experiences and an adjunct professor at California College of the Arts.
Just as his love of illustration and fine art has helped inform his work in film and media, Joe’s experience in the entertainment industry has helped develop his visual sense and the story-telling qualities of his paintings. Working primarily in oil, he aims to create contemporary compositions, selectively blending abstraction and realism with a foundation grounded in traditional technique. His art centers around the concept of being present in our everyday moments. Using the physicality of the paint, color, shapes, and patterns of perception, he invites the observer to participate in how these elements come together to capture the magic in our daily life experiences: the people we encounter, the places we live, and the things we collect.
In recent years, Joe has been included in a number of juried exhibitions sponsored by Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society, Portrait Society of America, MarinMOCA, and Marin Society of Artists. Joe is a Signature Member of Oil Painters of America and, in 2022, he received the great honor of being invited into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in recognition of his contributions to Visual Effects.
RECENT EXHIBITIONS, HONORS & AWARDS
2024 Thomas Reynolds Gallery: “SF/LA” Solo Exhibition
2023 Thomas Reynolds Gallery: “(Mostly) Small Treasures”
MarinMOCA National Juried Exhibition: “There is Magic Here”
Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition
Thomas Reynolds Gallery @2121 Art Space: “San Francisco: Still Beautiful”
2022 Member, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Visual Effects Branch
Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition
American Impressionist Society 6th Annual Impressions: Small Works Showcase
Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition
2021 American Impressionist Society 2nd Annual All Member Online Exhibition
Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition
American Impressionist Society Associate Member Online Exhibition
Oil Painters of America 30th Annual National Juried Exhibition
American Impressionist Society 5th Annual Impressions, Small Works Showcase
Finalist, International Artist Magazine Art Challenge: People & Figures
2020 Signature Member Status, Oil Painters of America
American Impressionist Society Online Exhibition
Oil Painters of America Virtual Western Regional Exhibition
Oil Painters of America Virtual Salon Show
Oil Painters of America 29th Annual National Juried Exhibition
American Impressionist Society 4th Annual Impressions Small Works Showcase
2019 Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition
Finalist “Outside the Box” category, Portrait Society of America Members Only Competition
Finalist, International Artist Magazine Art Challenge: Still Life
Animal Honorable Mention, Oil Painters of America 28th Annual National Juried Exhibition
2018 6th Place Still Life, Portrait Society of America Members Only Competition
Best in Show, Marin Society of Artists 91st Annual Members' Show: "Realism to Abstraction"
Honorable Mention, Marin Society of Artists: "Coast to Coast"
Honorable Mention, Marin Society of Artists Juried Regional Show: "On the Road"
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
2021 International Artist Magazine Issue 138 (April/May), “Foreign”
2019 International Artist Magazine Issue 129 (October/November), “Cecile Brunner Roses”