About the Artist

Why did he become an artist?
Creating was always a part of his life. His mother was a teacher and also a talented artist. In her first grade class she always started the year by creating a slotted attendance chart with a watercolor sketch of each of her students. Drawing and making things were a part of his everyday life.

His mother died young and when his father died when he was sixteen, his uncle invited him to Mexico where he was comptroller of a U.S. commission. There, one night at a piano recital, feeling restless, he sketched the pianist on some stationery. After the concert he showed the sketch to his uncle's friend, the artist Enrique Asunsolo (his sister was Dolores Del Rio the actress), who said he had talent and had he ever considered making art his career.

This was to become his defining moment. Until then it had never occurred to him that drawing was anything special. He thought everybody did it. Over the years he often said if that incident had never happened he had no idea what career path he would have taken.

When he graduated high school he attended the Art School of the New York State Institute of Applied Arts & Sciences majoring in commercial art (now called graphic design). Early career art director positions at design firms were followed by becoming National Director over 4 International Paper Company package design studios. His last staff position was Revlon's Director of Package Design.

He then opened Joseph Marcou Design Inc. specializing in package design, logo and trademark development, corporate brochures and annual reports. Over the 30 years the company was in business they designed for companies like Gorton's of Gloucester, Johnson & Johnson, American Home Products, Fahnestock, Perillo Tours, and many others. You probably have had packages he designed sitting on your shelf.

Stepping away from the business of design has allowed him to return to the sheer enjoyment of creating art.

HOME | PAINTINGS | SHOWS-GALLERIES  |  ABOUT THE ARTIST | CONTACT