Though he now calls himself an artist, Joe McFadden spent his career in the tech industry. While he was advising software companies by day, McFadden found balance by slathering oil paints on canvases in his free time.
“I wanted something I could develop over many years and maybe develop someday into a real skill and also have a creative element at the same time,” he told the Sun.
See the ’scapes
Joe McFadden’s paintings and biography can be found online at fromreallife.com. See his work up close at Gallery Los Olivos, which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s located at 2920 Grand Ave. in Los Olivos or read more information at gallerylosolivos.com.
McFadden looks at art with a perspective gained from his business background. It takes practice and discipline to improve. Spending time in front of the easel is the best way he knows how to get better, and he’s proud to have concrete proof of that.
“I have a body of work now. I can actually claim that, and now is the right time for me to look for gallery representation,” McFadden said.
In June, the painter claimed his spot at Gallery Los Olivos. His work had been accepted earlier this year, but McFadden patiently waited for space to open.
Residing in San Luis Obispo with his wife, McFadden has as much time as he wants in retirement to dedicate to the craft. Gone are the years of sneaking painting time in on the weekends during the 30-plus years of his professional life in the South Bay. Today he enjoys long stints in his home studio any time of the week.
His ideal painting day starts with a couple of cups of coffee at his trusty spot in front of the easel. Then he likes to make progress on a project he’s started working through in his head, stopping to take a TV or hiking break in the middle of the day.
“It’s a motivational thing to have a plan and the process and sit down and dive into it, start painting,” McFadden said. “That’s a good day, and that day will end up with good outcomes because I’ll have made the right progress and gotten to a point where I felt good about the painting.”
McFadden describes his style as painterly. He embraces brushstrokes and texture, with a tone somewhere in between impressionism and realism. Painters refer to the work as representational art because it’s not an imagined abstraction.
“It’s pretty straightforward, whether it’s landscape or portrait or still life,” McFadden explained. “With landscapes, I’m not just trying to represent a scene or objects in the scene, but the lighting and the mood or the color values in that scene.”
Landscapes need drama, and drama comes from light. The effect can be enhanced with colors, but McFadden likes to capture what he sees with the naked eye.
A little more than half of his work time is spent in the studio, but at heart McFadden is a plein air painter. He spends time in the field to find exactly the right colors, study the scenes, and build up his reference inventory for larger pieces.
“Sometimes I feel like painting is a contact sport if I’m standing outside for four hours painting,” he joked. “At my age, you might have some aches and pains.”
From the High Sierras to the Big Sur coastline, McFadden will paint anywhere. He loves the great outdoors. While searching for a spot, the gallery member prioritizes optimal conditions above a precise location. A stormy scene or a beautiful sunset will do, if there’s good lighting.
A few years ago, the artist joined San Luis Obispo Painters for the Environment (SLOPE), a group of charitable creatives who capture the beauty of nature and encourage the community to protect outdoor spaces. Before moving to the Central Coast, McFadden donated 10 percent of his proceeds to land conservation organizations in the Bay Area. He’s kept up that practice since moving and contributes the same percentage from his sales to The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo.
“It’s like a biker or a hiker. You get to use these beautiful lands and developed trails, and it’s nice if you could pay back,” McFadden said. “Same thing with me and landscape painting. My interest was always in supporting the preservation of land, since that’s fundamentally what I’m painting and what I enjoy doing.”
Joining SLOPE and Gallery Los Olivos was a juried process. McFadden enjoys this kind of judgement from fellow artists and has been submitting to juried exhibits for about a decade.
“There’s nothing better to push yourself and motivate yourself to do better than to look at peer review as the incentive and motivation,” McFadden said.
One memorable accomplishment for the artist includes being accepted into a show at the prestigious Salmagundi Club in New York City, an art club that’s been operating since 1871. McFadden’s entry was on its way back to California in mid-July, and he wants to put the painting up on his wall at Gallery Los Olivos when it returns.
As a member of Gallery Los Olivos, McFadden has the responsibility of volunteering during visiting hours every month or so. He enjoys greeting guests as they come through and was pleasantly surprised to see almost 60 visitors in the gallery the last time he volunteered.
Joining his first gallery has been a rewarding experience, and McFadden said he feels more connected to the Central Coast art community.
“It’s an opportunity to engage with my peers, my tribe,” he added, “and advance my art because I’m engaging and learning with those other artists.”
Staff Writer Madison White is much better at painting a scene with a keyboard than a paint brush. Reach her at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in July 16 – July 23, 2026.
