Joseph M

I grew up in New York, enlisted in the Army, served my country, married, and raised a couple of kids—on paper, life looked complete. But I’ve learned that real happiness isn’t found in checking boxes; it comes from building a life with purpose and sharing it with others. Working in construction, engineering, home improvement, and large commercial projects like painting Roswell Cancer Institute opened my eyes to another side of life, where hard work and commitment to community create a kind of joy I hadn’t known before. I reconnected with my wife, Aubre, by chance, and then again two years later; she’s the kind of artist I admire—always teaching, always caring, always keeping art in the conversation. If the Anna community wants a more vibrant city, with murals, art festivals, and programs like The Warpaint Project, I believe it will grow from the artists who have been working for it all along.

I’m the co-founder of The Warpaint Project and the Anna Arts Council, and I came to art not by training, but by necessity. When my wife, Aubre’, was overwhelmed by painting requests from families fighting cancer—84 in one weekend, all free—I asked how I could help, and we began experimenting with acrylic pouring, a process that feels part paint, part science lab. Together, we created more than a hundred paintings that blend pouring and brushwork, and donated them to families across America.