KENNESAW, Ga. | Oct 1, 2016

A painter for almost 30 years, Remillard has taught at KSU for 16 years. He is always painting and keeping his personal skills sharp, but teaching his students inspires him on a daily basis. 

Kennesaw State University’s Joe Remillard has won first place in the Portrait Society of America’s Landscape Competition. A former attorney, Remillard makes his home in the School of Art and Design as a professor of drawing and painting. “I’m humbled because the quality of the participants, in my mind, was very high. On a national level, they are some of the best.”

Remillard’s winning painting, Crinums and Blue, depicts a home in Atlanta’s very own Cabbagetown. Remillard worked on site to capture the scene on canvas. A contemporary realist artist, he tries to accurately paint the world around him. “I saw this house one day in Cabbagetown, and it reminded me of a Tiffany box, like a little jewel among all the clutter, which is pretty in its own way. That’s what attracted me to painting the house.”

Prior to joining KSU, Remillard quit practicing law, moved to Georgia, and obtained his master’s degree in painting. “I finally realized you only have one go-around in life, so you better do what you love. You don’t want to wait.”

A painter for almost 30 years, Remillard has taught at KSU for 16 years. He is always painting and keeping his personal skills sharp, but teaching his students inspires him on a daily basis. “I came here and said to myself, ‘I’m going to teach my students everything I wasn’t taught in college.’ I want my students to have the skills to go on and create beautiful work.”

Remillard also looks forward to the growth and progress happening in the School of Art and Design. “I’m so happy with the direction the visual arts program is headed in right now. I’ve wanted to see the concept art side take off. Our new department chair, Geo Sipp, has done that by reminding us that there’s room at the table for lots of different art forms.”
See more of Remillard’s work at joeremillard.com.

Photo by Erik Meadows