Joe Yeti

Joe Yeti | Rodney Mullen

You were born and raised in the USA. How has your cultural environment influenced your artistic vision?

The artistic vision has narrowed into Americana from the 1900’s: Pulps from the 1920s-1950s, twentieth century Illustrators, and love for classic movies.

Your bio states that your passion is creating. When did you first realize that art would become central to your life?

Very early on.  When I would pick doodling over anything else as a boy.

Joe Yeti | Cowboy Art

How would you describe your artistic practice and main areas of focus today?

My artistic practice depends on whenst areas I can find work in.  Though trained in traditional, I mostly find digital work.  I manage to get paid on projects that have me train my digital skills.  My main areas of focus today are self-made comics, digital drawing and painting as previously mentioned, graphic design via schooling, and soon I will broach oil painting.

What role do digital tools and platforms play in your artistic practice?

Platforms serve to market my artwork to the general public.  So far social media has not garnered any jobs, though there have been near misses.  Digital tools have become a strong suite, as mentioned prior.  Digital has become my mainstay, for now.

Are there artists, disciplines, or non-artistic fields that strongly influence your work?

Frank Frazetta, J.C. Leyendecker, Petar Meseldija, Dean Cornwall, Paul Bonner, Mead Shaffer, Albert Dorne are just a few of the artists inspiring me.  Brushwork, painting, and drawing are the artistic mediums that heavily influence me.  Movies are the mainstay that have permanently etched their mark into my work.  I have not watched movies regularly since 2012, and yet my early years as a cinephile left their signature.

What challenges do you face as a contemporary artist working in the digital space?

Competition from AI, and the fact that it is such a broad medium.  Getting your voice heard can be tricky.

Joe Yeti | Sheriff Bell

What emotions or thoughts do you hope viewers experience when engaging with your work?

Their own.  I work for the money, and anything I do of my own is for personal pleasure.  I leave it to the viewer what they will take away from works.