Born in 1958, Joe May grew up (or never did) among the rolling farmland and wooded hillsides that line the Little Miami River Valley of Southwest Ohio. Early on, he displayed an affinity for art and nature. Summers devoted to roaming the fields and streams near his home and virtually living in an old Army surplus tent frustrated his mother but hardened his resolve to depict the beauty he saw everywhere. By age twelve he was painting with oils and studying with Gene Woods. As an Advanced Placement art student in high school he was fortunate to land in an exceptional program taught by Gene and Rosemary Chute. After graduation he enrolled in the fine arts department at the University of Cincinnati. Then he went on to study at the Gloucester Academy of Fine Arts run by John Terelak as well as The Art Student's League. In addition to John Terelak, he has studied with Michael Karas, Charles Movalli, John Howard Sanden and Daniel E. Greene. In the early 80's he opened a studio in his hometown of Lebanon, Ohio and began teaching painting and figure drawing classes. His work includes landscape, still life, portraits, figure studies and murals in oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel and a variety of drawing media. He has exhibited in numerous group shows, receiving several awards... including New Artists at Madison Square Garden and The Portrait Institute. Mr May's work is a part of public and private collections in the U. S., Canada and Japan. In 2001, he purchased a 1979 Coachmen travel trailer which he converted to a rolling studio, thus combining his love of camping and art. Several thousand miles later, his enjoyment of both remains undiminished. He is currently parked in southwest Ohio.

Joe wrote this himself for his art website. He passed away April 10, 2013.