Joseph Riggs

Growing up as a young man in the High Plains of Texas, classical or fine art was never a consideration within my family.

My Mother, however, was constantly a creative influence within the family. She never considered herself an artist, but she was always making something beautiful. Whether designing and creating needlepoint, or lining all of the kitchen drawers with samples of colored linoleum, or melting chunks of colored glass in a kiln to cover coffee table tops, her mind was constantly buzzing with ingenious outlets, and her hands were always making something. She never discouraged her children from making things. College, family and a legal career occupied much of my adult life.

I began my legal career as a criminal defense attorney in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In my mid 40s, I decided to learn to paint watercolor, and took a few local courses. I found that traditional watercolor was challenging, but ultimately confining and restrictive.I entered many local and regional juried shows winning many awards and ribbons. A second-place award at the 2001 New Mexico Watercolor Society Masterworks Show was a high point, but my style was already beginning to change from traditional watercolor. I began to experiment with multiple layers of color and subjects. Eventually, all of my work became abstract - with watermedia (watercolor and gouache) as my medium.