Joe got interested in woodcarving watching carvers demonstrate their art in the early 70’s in the Valley Road Woodcarving shop at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. He began carving in 1990 later joined the St. Louis Area Woodcarvers, the Belleville Holzschnitzers and the Affiliated Woodcarvers Congress.  He has taken over 120 classes, 28 of which were with past and present members of the C.C.A. and continues to learn to this day with clay, stone carving, caricature drawing, and woodcarving classes. Joe became a member of the C.C.A. 2005. He lives in Imperial, Missouri, with his wife Fran. They have four sons Joey, Matt, Jon, and Nick, two daughters in law and 4 grand daughters. He enjoys traveling with his wife, Fran. He likes to instill humor in to his carvings and watching the smiles it puts on the people who view his carvings.