A Denver native first introduced to jewelry-making in a high school art class, Joe completed a B.A. in Philosophy and Literature at Eastern Michigan University before returning to Denver to explore his love for the arts. That exploration brought him to Clear Creek Academy (formerly the Denver Jewelry Academy) to study metal arts, which he has been completely devoted to since 2004. Since 2009, Joe has been on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Metalsmithing Society. In 2012, Joe was awarded an Artist-in-Residence position at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.