Joshua Alexander is a multi-faceted Native Canadian artist working out of his home studio/workshop, tucked away somewhere in the middle of Alberta, Canada. Joshua accidentally started his adventure in Art in 2012, after a failed urban exploring adventure. Rain had turned a field surrounding an abandoned early 20th century school to mud, thus preventing stealth exploration. Not wanting to waste the day on boredom, Josh’s friend Jolene suggested “painting pictures” as an alternative way to spend the day. And so, Josh’s Artistic Journey started with acrylic paintings on canvas. Though Josh had always been artistic throughout childhood and expressed his creative abilities through doodles and crafting, as an outlet for his Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), he didn't take it seriously. He certainly never considered painting as a discipline worth pursuing up until that rainy day. It was as if he discovered something missing from his life. Being stuck in a job that paid the bills, but was very unfulfilling, he could not wait to come home and escape into his art. Art saved Josh’s soul from the tedium of his regular job. After his first few paintings, using cheap dollar store materials, he began investing in higher quality paints and canvas to create his work. This added considerable cost to his new hobby. Due to the lack of washing his paint brushes after use, he began to feel the considerable financial burden of buying multiple new brushes during the process of each painting. The pressure of not being able to afford new brushes on a regular basis allowed him to expand his artistic freedom and style in a way that was not anticipated. Finger Painting. Since his fingers did not require the maintenance regular painting implements do, his problem of running out of brushes was solved. Finger painting also allowed him to develop a consistent signature style that he enjoyed most. Currently, Josh seldom uses brushes for his work on canvas, though occasionally finds good use for them in some areas of his work. Having only been at it for a year and a half, Josh participated in his first art event at his then girlfriend's (now wife) insistence. This led to an invitation to showcase his work in a gallery as a permanent contributor for the first time. This has eventually helped to attract collectors from all over the world. Joshua’s work would likely not be as well known had he chosen not to participate as he did the previous year. He had been reluctant to participate in any art events because his confidence in his work was seriously lacking. However, since he had taken the leap, he was soon doing these events on a regular basis. Josh enjoyed fingerpainting as his main artistic discipline, for almost three years before branching out to other mediums. During this time, Josh left his unfulfilling job to pursue a career in contracting work. Drywall, framing and renovation. This gave him a chance to invest in a table saw, router table and bandsaw to add to his collection of other work required tools. He was on the lookout for a table saw to be used in the construction of his own canvas stretcher bars, to help keep art supply costs to a minimum, and now had another reason to acquire one. At this point Josh married his childhood sweetheart and was able to accommodate his need of an art studio with a tandem two car paint booth owned by his in-laws. Having new-to-him tools in his new studio/shop allowed for further artistic expression. Joshua began experimenting with wood as an artistic medium, making sculptural work, as well as functional and practical items such as bespoke shelves and tables with artistic elements. The studio space allowed other expansions in his artistic experimentation as well. He began chainsaw carving, some work with clay, and various prop making, among a plethora of other creative ventures. Soon his commission projects required him to purchase a welder. Welded art has since become his second most practiced medium, next to fingerpainting. To be able to seriously pursue art as a viable career, Josh decided it might be in his best interest to leave his job and start his own construction business. He had developed the necessary skills over the years and started earning his own clientele. Owning his own business allowed him to set his own hours. Hoping to work one or two weeks a month, and set aside the rest of the month to work in his studio. For this to be feasible, he would often work up to 15 hours a day on client work for the first part of the month, which gave him the freedom to focus on his art for the remainder of the month, without neglecting his financial responsibilities. As Joshua progressed in his studio through various mediums, his hobby advanced into a viable career. He acquired more gallery representation, and invitations to many live art events and pop-up gallery shows etc. which added value to his work. He has since sold works all over the world and continues to grow his portfolio in several mediums. Eventually, contracting became his side gig, while art became his main focus. He still does contracting on the side occasionally, however he often chooses the more creative projects, where he can add a little of his own art design and creativity. Josh has worked with many materials throughout his art career. Currently Joshua enjoys painting in acrylic and occasionally oil, various forms of woodworking, various forms of metalworking, clay, and is always looking for new mediums to learn and experiment with. He has developed a line of kitchen utensils as he's expanded his knowledge in different materials. He primarily likes to work in reclaimed and upcycled materials. He tries his best to find value in discarded items, as he turns them into works of art. You can see Joshua Alexander’s work on social media by clicking on the social media links in footer or on the site menu. He has also branched out to doing Youtube to expand his reach, so more people can find and enjoy his work.