Biography

About Joe McAleer

JOMAC has spent a lifetime developing his unique artistic vision. His art is affilated with the New York School of Abstract Expressionists. JOMAC's non-representational style has been influenced by the masters of the 20th century including Mark Rothko, Willem Dekooning, Jackson Pollock and Clyfford Still. JOMAC is most interested in the effect of color fields and the surface quality of the paint. His original abstractions with their dense application of paint and subtle layering evoke the purest emotions.

JOMAC's work is in numerous public and private collections. He currently maintains studios in Southwest Florida and New Jersey. JOMAC resides with his wife in Bonita Springs, Florida.

Artist Statement

My paintings are the visual record of the artistic experience, validating my journey of the heart and mind. They are the end of a creative crossing.

The "road" an abstract painter travels is vastly different from that of a realistic painter. In representational work, the artist takes his inspiration from what exists in nature. He knows from the inception what he wants the final piece to look like . He follows a clearly defined "map" (difficult as this may be). The hours spent "driving" are exciting, but the road lies clearly ahead. What was in the beginning is at the end..

The abstractionist's journey of the imagination is more like an odyssey. There is no simple explanation of the creative process in abstraction. My paintings never travel a straight route. They rarely end up reflecting my intial thoughts and first sketches. The "road taken" is not a straight highway, nothing is clearly marked and it is filled with constant detours.

With no map to guide me, abstraction is a challenging and almost mystical process. I encounter discoveries at every turn (a new color, a new shape). A "road" taken here or there may put me in a dead end filling me with despair for days or weeks, or it may open up a grand vista. The uncertainty of it all challenges, frustrates and ultimately excites. The hours spent "on the road" stimulate, motivate and exhaust the imagination.

I'm hopeful you can sense and share in this experience.