Joe Andoe

(American, born 1955)

Joe Andoe is an American painter best known for his muted depictions of landscapes, solitary objects, and portraits using thin paint and photographic-like rendering. The artist’s works deal with the memories and connections he has to the open spaces and mood of the Great Plains, and frequently features animals such as horses, buffalo, and deer. Andoe’s signature technique consists of applying a thick layer of oil paint to his surfaces, incising the outlines of his subjects, and then wiping away the wet paint to reveal the coarsely textured canvas underneath. Born on December 5, 1955 in Tulsa, Oklahoma in a part-Cherokee farming family, he initially studied agricultural business in community college. He gradually shifted his focus after discovering artists like Robert Smithson, going on to receive an MA in fine art from the University of Oklahoma in 1981. Andoe’s works are in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the San Diego Museum of Art, among others. He lives and works in New York, NY.