Joseph Stuckelman was born and raised in Los Angeles. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from UC Santa Cruz, and his Master of Fine Art in Furniture Design from the Rhode Island School of Design. While at RISD, he produced furniture that explored his various public and private personas. His work was known for its innovative use of materials and for its more sculptural nature. Joseph then went on to work for a high-end furniture company in San Francisco. After several years designing and producing furniture for the interior design trade, he decided that it was time to return to the fine arts. He took his leave from the 9-5 rat race and was invited to be an artist-in-residence at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado. The six months he spent at the Ranch in the winter of 2004 gave him the time and focus needed to break from the conventions of thinking like a working furniture designer, and freed him to become an artist. "As a furniture designer and maker, I did a lot of jumping around from one material vernacular to another. While at Anderson Ranch, I challenged myself to focus on a very limited and simple material palette, and to see how far I could take it. That was when I started working with 2x4's." Naturally oxidized metals and raw wood are common architectural materials in the Rocky Mountains. Always intrigued by how nature creates its own patinas, Joseph Stuckelman began exploring ways to take advantage of these finishes with his own work. He considers his sculptures to be as much about process as form. In 2004, Joseph became a member of the Los Angeles Art Association. LAAA's mission for over 80 years has been to provide opportunities, resources, services and exhibition venues for Los Angeles artists, with an emphasis on emerging talent. In one of his more recent endeavors, Joseph spent the '06-'07 academic year teaching art classes at New Roads High School in Santa Monica, CA. He enjoys the challenge of helping teens channel their angst and frenetic energy into creating works of art. Currently, Joseph teaches grade school kids the lost art of woodworking on specially equipped buses that serve as mobile classrooms and woodshops. The Alternate Routes - Education on Wheels program is operated by Side Street Projects, and brings art education to kids all around the Los Angeles area. The simplicity of Joseph’s sculpture allows him to work almost anywhere. When he's not doing his sculpture, he spends his time skiing, gardening, bartending, playing shuffleboard, and serving as a faithful bipedal companion to his two Australian Shepherds, Zeppelin and Ajax.