Joel Washington

Joel Washington was born in Indianapolis, IN, in 1960 and moved to Bloomington in 1975. A self-taught artist, he was inspired in his youth to be an animator and later a painter after seeing the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine. He was especially drawn to the color and graphic design in the movie. He was influenced by many 1960’s era artists such as Andy Warhol, Peter Max, LeRoy Neiman and continues to feel their influence today.  Joel’s work is in  the permanent collections of the Neal Marshall Black Cultural Center and the Indiana Memorial Union Building on the I.U campus as well as in many private collections.

Joel has done commissioned work for Bloomington businesses, Indiana University, the State of Indiana, and world dignitaries, as well as the late local jazz legend and professor, David Baker, and many others.

In 2008, Joel’s artwork traveled to the U.S. Embassy in Bankok, Thailand, and was featured in the ART Embassies Exhibition. The exhibit also featured artwork by John Domont, Robert Indiana and silk screens by Kurt Vonnegut. In 2017 Joel’s work was included in London’s Parallax Art fair (UK).

Juniper Gallery enjoys a long-time friendship with Joel and is proud to offer his original paintings and signed prints.