Joe Vaux is a New York born artist now living and working in California. He studied at Syracuse University and has exhibited in group and solo exhibitions in various galleries in California.

Outside of that, I know little about him. His work is a wonderful combination of grotesque imagery and punchy, almost storybook-like rendering, with a nicely graphic sense of design and a refreshing use of color. He often has a base of muted colors and deep darks, against which he pops passages of brighter colors and lighter values.

His subject matter encompasses all manner of demented creatures, fantastical environments and weird structures, and has some of the characteristics of the so-called “pop surrealists” but without the self-important seriousness often evident in many of those artists.

Vaux stands out in that his images exhibit a sense of humor, inventiveness and a visual playfulness that make them a treat. Sort of Bosch meets Miro by way of Charles Adams. I particularly like the way he juxtaposes bright colors against deep blacks, giving them a kind of electric glow.

His site is has two galleries plus an archive with many images, though the too clever for its own good navigation can be a bit tiresome after a while.

There is also a news section with mention of shows and galleries.