Joshua Langstaff Works

Joshua Langstaff

Medium: Oil

Subjects: Figurative Portraits and Narratives

Style: Contemporary Classical Realism

Inspirations: Influences include the Baroque period, as well as a variety of artists from 19^th century Europe; some favorites are Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Repin, Bouguereau, Sargent, Klimt, and Mucha.

Biography: Joshua Langstaff has always been drawn to representational painting. “To me, painting is at its best when pictorial construction, in an abstract sense, is married with the illusion of naturalism. I think a sense of realism allows a deeper emotional response from the viewer." 

Langstaff studied traditional painting techniques with Juliette Aristides in her acclaimed Classical Atelier in Seattle. He has studied with other master painters, including Anthony Ryder, Michael Grimaldi, and Steven Assael. He was also a member of Jacob Collins’ Hudson River Fellowship for its first two years.

In 2009, Langstaff was named one of “21 Under 31, Artists to Collect Now” by Southwest Art Magazine. His work has been featured in The Artist’s Magazine and several instructional books. Langstaff is a two-time recipient of the Stacey Foundation Grant and a multiple-time finalist in the Art Renewal Center Salon. He has shown at the Wendt Gallery in Laguna Beach, the Guild of Boston Artists, and art galleries throughout the United States. In 2012, he was invited to participate in the first World of Art Showcase at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort. Joshua loves painting portraits and has completed commissions for clients throughout the United States, including the Arlington Club in Portland, Oregon, and the Musser family, former owners of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Since 2013, Joshua has been an active member of the Southern Maine art education community. He taught several classes at Sanctuary Arts in Eliot and the Maine College of Art in Portland. Currently, he helps teach an online Classical Drawing and Painting Intensive with his former teacher, Juliette Aristides.

Joshua is a native of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula but has resided in many places in the United States and Europe. Most of his adult life has been spent in two opposite corners of the United States – the Pacific Northwest and New England. A two-year residence in Prague, Czech Republic, allowed him the ability to travel throughout Europe to study art in the many excellent museums on the continent. Currently, Joshua resides on the south coast of Maine. Though he is not native to the region, Joshua is descended from the English adventurer John Smith, who gave New England its name 400 years ago. When not painting, he enjoys exploring the coast and mountains of his adopted home with his wife Anna, their young son Henry, and their dog Copley.