Joe A. Rector (August 12, 1935 – August 19, 2012) was born in

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the thirteenth-largest city in Oklahoma and the county seat of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0 percent decrease ...

. He is a part of the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

ancestry. He lived in Muskogee and Tulsa, Oklahoma for most of his life, until he retired. Afterwards, he moved to

Destin, Florida Destin is a city located in Okaloosa County, Florida. It is a principal city of the Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin, Florida, metropolitan area. Located on Florida's Emerald Coast, Destin is known for its white beaches and emerald green ...

, to live near his children until the time of his death in 2012. Rector started to draw when he was about 5, and he would later become an artist after finding his passion for art. His first drawings were done by looking at comic book characters and drawing them. As a teenage artist, he began to study all forms and styles of artwork on his own, ranging from

commercial art Commercial art is the art of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. Commercial art uses a variety of platforms (magazines, websites, apps, television, etc.) for viewers with the intent of promo ...

and signs to various types of

fine art In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

Western art The art of Europe, or Western art, encompasses the history of visual art in Europe. European prehistoric art started as mobile Upper Paleolithic rock and cave painting and petroglyph art and was characteristic of the period between the Paleol ...

became his favourite. Having a great interest in physical fitness, Rector became a champion weightlifter, setting several state records, two national and one world record. He developed an appreciation for great strength and body development. Incorporating this appreciation into his artwork, combined with his deep spirituality has produced portrayals of the American Indian and other Western characters that show great strength of the active, robust early American. A Rector "character" painting gives the impression of strength and power but still has the grace and beauty of lines that were portrayed by some of the "Old Masters" such as

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

. Rector is listed on the State of Oklahoma's website as one of their "Famous Oklahomans". Rector was also recognized as one of the top "Movers And Shakers" in the book written by Victoria Lee celebrating Tulsa, Oklahoma's centennial.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rector, Joe People from Muskogee, Oklahoma American male weightlifters Painters from Oklahoma Native American painters 1935 births 2012 deaths