Joshua Been
Joshua Been, born in 1974, had no shortage of outdoor adventures that cultivated his appreciation for the natural world. Drawing since he could manage a pencil, he was captivated by animation and cartooning. This proclivity remained with him throughout high school and an active duty enlistment in the US Army. Been then went on to pursue his BA in Fine Art at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. As a Magna Cum Laude graduate from this small liberal arts college, Been was never idle. While snowboarding or rock climbing during what little free time was available, he also stayed busy performing in the college’s theatrical productions. He became engaged not only in the intersection between visual and performing arts, but also took great interest in the sciences and humanities. This interdisciplinary foundation is evident in the intricacies and sentiment of his landscape as well as his figurative work.

After graduation, Been relocated to the Los Angeles area where he worked for several years in the entertainment industry as an animator. Cartoon Network, Titmouse Animation, Disney TV, and Midway Games were some of the studios where he found work. It wasn’t long, however, before Been craved a more liberating form of creating. He enrolled in some night classes at the California Art Institute, where he studied under the tutelage of other young rising painters including Ryan Wurmser, Michelle Dunaway, and Jeremy Lipking. Been has since moved back to his native land in Colorado, and now lives and paints in Salida, a place known as the "Heart of the Rockies". Jean-Leon Gerome, Anders Zorn, and contemporary master, Trevor Chamberlain, are among the many artists that he reveres.