Joseph McNamara

Joseph McNamara is an American-born painter and photographer known for his penetrating depictions of human industry’s engagement with the landscape and compositional diligence.

His paintings, which are notable for their meticulous detail and can take months or even years to complete, are characterized by their expansive scope as much as their precision and are composed of a fused sequence of visual observations.

Based in New York City since 1972, where he has also painted numerous urban representations, figures, portraits and still lifes, McNamara has in addition traveled extensively, accumulating a substantial archive of imagery to use as reference for his paintings.

“The question I get asked most frequently is, 'How do you choose your subject matter?' and the answer is pattern recognition. Pattern recognition in this case is distinguishing a distinct visual rhythm in life situations encountered either by choice, which means traveling to pre-determined locations that I know will stimulate my curiosity, or by spontaneous reactions to otherwise apparently unremarkable life circumstances that fit these requirements. In other words I seek out content that looks like my painting.” - Joseph McNamara