Personally, I love watercolor- as it mirrors our own existence in the world. There are times when you think you can control it, and there are times when you must simply surrender and go with what it decides to offer you.

Joel Sinclair

Canadian artist Joel Sinclair was born in Edmonton, Alberta in 1970. Growing up on an acreage gave him a deep love of nature and from an early age Joel interacted deeply with the natural environment around him. Through the influence of his father, the artist Robert Sinclair RCA, he was also immersed in the art world and exposed to many aspects of creative expression.

In 1992, Joel attended The Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary, Alberta. With a major in Visual Communications, he left college and started a very successful web design firm. But after 12 years of melding left and right-brain, Joel made the decision to step away from the world of computers and immersed himself 100% into his creativity and spirituality.

Joel's passion for the varied landscapes of Alberta and Canada has a strong influence on his work, and a focus on capturing the energy inherent in the land creates drama in his striking landscapes. Joel has an energetic control of the watercolor medium, enabling him to convey a vivid sense of how we play an integral role in the process of creation.

Joel’s paintings are recognized for their spirit, intensity of colour and dramatic sense of energy. He's also an elected member of both the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour and the Society of Canadian Artists, and a full member of the Alberta Society of Artists.

Well versed in many modes of creative expression, his primary medium of choice is watercolor as he feels it mirrors our own existence in the world, requiring one to surrender to the moment. Currently, Joel works plein air, as well as out of his studio.

I work with watercolor in a non-traditional manner as an exploration of flow, energy, texture and spirit. I am fascinated with the human aspect contained within painting and work specifically to avoid 'perfect' renderings by exaggerating brush strokes and colour to create a sense of place. I am not attempting to capture a perfect vision, but rather, the feeling and energy of place.

My work is rooted in my spirit and my love of the natural world, and my paintings are an exploration of this ongoing relationship and an expression of that sublime, single moment that is so fleeting, yet deeply profound. My main focus is to incorporate and capture the energy of life's dance into the paintings themselves, and perhaps reveal a glimpse of the power of creation.