Joel Adam Chavez is a Colorado native, who lived in Aurora all his life until moving to Fort Collins in 2016. He is an award-winning scenic artist and has been painting sets for live theatre all over the state since 2007. He has been the resident scenic artist at Candlelight Dinner Playhouse since 2016.
Over the past several years, Joel has found a new love in canvas art, and even more recently in the colorful portraits you see here on Fresha Peppa.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
During a routine spring cleaning of his basement
a few years ago, he came across several blank canvases he had purchased many
years prior with an intent to use, but ended up forgetting. He thought, âI
should use these sometime,â and kept them handy. A few weeks later, he found a
black and white photo of Jimi Hendrix to re-create using much more color. Since
then, he hasnât stopped.
A local business owner saw a photo of his Jimi
Hendrix painting on social media and asked him if heâd like to paint some
originals for her restaurant in town. The two came up with a âthrough the
decadesâ concept, and in about fifteen months, Joel had completed twenty-four
original paintings of pop culture icons, four from each decade from the 1960s
to the 2010s.
Joelâs taste in music is extremely eclectic, so
he always has ideas for subjects. Since childhood, he has been interested in
movies, music, television, and pop culture in general, so working on these
paintings and choosing subjects has been especially fun for him.
OTHER THAN PAINTING…
Joel has a special interest in horror films and television, especially the original Universal Monster films. When he isnât painting, he enjoys reading ghost stories, playing board games, and from time to time performing and directing musical theatre. He has been involved with summer camps for the past twenty years as a youth counselor and performing arts instructor. He also gives private voice lessons.
STUFF FOR YOU
The artwork you see on Fresha Peppa is available for purchase in various sizes of prints and stickers. Select original pieces are also available for purchase. You can see many of the original paintings on display at Panhandlerâs Pizza in Fort Collins. Joel is also available for commission pieces.
Contact him at joel@freshapeppa.com for more information and rates.
Instagram: @fresha_peppa