Joshua West

Many of the ideas in my work exist at the intersections between what we are told about the world around us, what we would like to believe about it, and the true nature of reality (which no one really knows). While there are many reasons I chose to be a painter, central is my desire for understanding and to resist the very human urge tell ourselves and others what we want to hear rather than what is true. Truth is elusive and rarely as tidy as we would like to make it. Stories have always been a huge part of how human beings process reality. In my paintings, ideas about the future, stories from history, and sometimes even from my own life clash with current events and are represented with a sort of orchestral madness.

Our ideas about reality, the world, and our place in it are constantly eroding and evolving amid a malaise of information. I take inspiration from the way that dreams force our unconscious to confront our deepest fears in surreal and symbolic ways. Each image that I create weaves a seamless tapestry of visual references, styles, and symbols all revolving around a central theme. The pictures serve as a visual short-hand for broader topics that intersect in my mind in an effort to work out what I think, what to do a...

Steven F. Austin State University
B.A. Psychology/Art
University of North Texas College of Visual Art & Design
M.F.A. Studio Art

2019
"Of Intuition and Blindness". Solo Exhibition at Art on Henderson Contemporary Art Gallery. Dallas, TX


2018
“Retrospective/Prospective”. Group exhibition at Haley-Henma Contemporary Art. Dallas, TX

2016

“I, A Stanger”. Solo exhibition at Haley-Henman Contemporary Art. Dallas, TX

2015

"Soliloquies". Solo exhibition at Haley-Henman Contemporary Art. Dallas, TX



2014

“Salon Show". Haley-Henman Contemporary Art. Dallas, TX.

“UNT Annual Faculty and Staff Exhibition". UNT on the Square. Denton, TX

“Richland College Faculty Exhibition”. Brazos Gallery. Dallas, TX



2013

“UNT Faculty and Staff Exhibition”. UNT Gallery. Denton, TX

“Collaborations”. Plano Arts Association Gallery. Plano, TX

Pineywoods Camp Commissioned Mural. Woodlake, TX.

53 Annual Voertman Art Competition. UNT Art Gallery. Denton, TX.

“Form and Content”. Granville Arts Center. Garland, TX

“Tempered: MFA Exhibition”. Lightwell Gallery. Denton, TX.



2012

“Link”. Cora Stafford Gallery. Denton, TX.

“2012 Voertman Scholarship Competition Exhibit”. Unt Art Gallery. Denton, TX

“2012 Rob Erdle Scholarship Competition”. UNT Art Gallery. Denton, TX.

“H2O Hue”. UNT on the Square Gallery. Denton, TX....