Joseph’s formal training began in high school and culminated in 1965 when he graduated from San Jose State University in Fine Arts with an emphasis in portrait painting. After three years in the Army as a medic, he returned to graduate school and earned a teaching credential in art and English. For thirty-three years he taught English at Menlo-Atherton High School, Atherton, California. In 2003 he retired from teaching to paint full time.

He has based his work on Venetian scenes, many of which he has visited during his extensive travels. In 1997 he lived in Venice, Italy for six months … an experience that softened and extended the values of his palette. During the last decade, he has had several shows and exhibitions on the Peninsula, in San Francisco and in Florence and Venice, Italy.