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Born in 1934 in those wonderful post-depression years, I began dabbling in art at an early age. Artistically I am totally unschooled, but developed a talent with the pencil simply because that's all I had. My training in San Francisco came from those unique tenement rooftops where I learned perspective through observation. Raised in the Mission District, I worked at the usual jobs all youngsters did in that part of town, newspaper routes, a butcher boy in the neighborhood butcher shop.
Seeing that I was a normal teenage boy and running a bit wild, my dear sister landed me a job at a lithographic advertising shop, where I spent countless hours as a printers devil. Subsequently, I developed a love for the graphic arts in all its various forms. A three year stint in the the 82nd Airborne Division Band during the Korean Conflict - I played well enough to barely qualify - then a discharge in 1955. I went back to printing as an apprentice pressman. Too many years passed and I realized that I had traveled the country playing tenor in too many run down bars while holding down a variety of printing jobs from back door to front. I ended up in a partnership with a young lady in an advertising agency. She later became my wife. Through the agency my passion for drawing bloomed . . . a bit late in life I might add. I've tried oils and pastels, but always come back to graphite where I began.
It has always been a source of genuine pleasure for me to create an image that will be cherished. My attention to detail has landed many commissions, mostly by word of mouth.
Joe Olivares is not a member of any groups.