Art Chowder September | October 2017, Issue 11 | Page 14

"Broken Promises" 24 x 36” Oil
J
oe travels to historic sites and na-
tional parks in the Inland Northwest,
Montana and Wyoming to take his
photographs. Armed with bear spray and
a .40 in case he’s upwind of his intended
subject, he sits and waits for the animal
to enter in the perfect light, first light be-
ing his favorite. “You can’t make up the
light. You can’t just paint it in.” Spring
is his preferred season, as wildlife are
more active then, have their full antlers,
and their coats appear healthier. “The
muscle structure of a confined animal
is not the same.” He captures images of
wildlife in their native habitat. Joe usu-
ally maintains a respectful eighty-yard
distance from his subject, especially if it
is a predator. Once, he had to pull back a
tourist from harm’s way at Yellowstone.
Growing up in the Northwest shaped
his love of the natural subjects he paints
14 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
today. He is a self-educated artist,
reviving a method of classical realism
with a local slant. He has received
numerous People’s Choice and Best of
Show awards in Coeur d’Alene. Joe’s
artwork is also featured in several
magazines and catalogs.
Joe was the 2009 recipient of the CM
Russell Museum Auction’s “Ralph
‘Tuffy’ Berg Award” for the most prom-
ising up and coming artist, and was
invited by the museum to join a group
of twenty artists at the Russell Skull
Society of Artists in 2017.
This past July Joe was featured, along
with Don Oelze, in a two-man show
at Legacy Gallery in Bozeman, and he
continues to support himself as a
professional artist.
“There are very few
people in this world who
can say that if they never
got paid to do what they
do for a living, they would
continue to do it, every
chance they got. I would.
I have been blessed to be
able to do what I have a
passion for.”
Joe is represented at several galleries in
Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. He can
also be found out in the wild, chasing the
light and photographing his next subject.
If you spot him, remember to maintain
an eighty-yard distance.
Joe Kronenberg offers a drawing course
at Spokane Art Supply, though space is
limited. You can find more details here:
http://kronenbergart.net/workshops