Caricatures by Joel

I draw my "live" caricature heads on an 11" x 14"-sized pad, with a medium that, to my knowledge, no one else uses -- a China Marker or Grease Pencil (the kind that unravels by string). Most every other artist uses a Sharpie (Magic Marker). I like the texture, depth and shading the pencil renders.

After finishing the drawing, in under 5 minutes, I insert it into a clear plastic sleeve, for protection and ease of portability.

I'm pretty personable, as well. Can kibitz and joke with the best of them. (Or, I can keep as quiet as the host/planner would like me to be. :-))

A custom caricature from yours truly may be found in the offices and homes of such notables as actor-comedian Kevin Pollack; entertainer Barry Manilow; former NFL head coach Dom Capers; NFL referee Red Cashion; advertising executive (“AFLAC Duck” commercials) Linda Kaplan Thaler; Charlotte property developer Johnny Harris; Charlotte media personalities Moira Quinn, Al Conklin, Don Russell, James K. Flynn; and the late McDonald’s CEO Ray Kroc. George Clooney is another subject and recipient, since I appeared as an extra in Clooney’s Charlotte-shot football flick, “Leatherheads.”

Though Charlotte based, I am an alumnus of the nationally acclaimed High School of Music and Art in New York City, and studied later in the city at the internationally renowned Art Students League.

I am a former contributing artist to the famed Palm restaurant in Charlotte, adding drawings of local and national celebrities and business leaders to the walls of this iconic institution.

Additionally, I hold a B.S. in Journalism from Southern Illinois University.

My needs are pretty basic: a table to trest my materials and two-to-three chairs...one for me and one or two for the subject(s). If the venue will be mood-darkened for the event, I need to be near an electrical outlet so, if necessary, I can plug in a potrtable lamp I bring with me to better see ythe subject.