Joshua Langstaff has always been drawn to representational painting. “To me, painting is at its best when pictorial construction, in an abstract sense, is married with the illusion of naturalism. I believe a sense of realism allows for a deeper emotional response from the viewer, and that is what I am interested in,” he says.

Langstaff studied traditional painting techniques under Juliette Aristides in her acclaimed Classical Atelier at the Gage Academy of Art in Seattle. He has also trained with master painters Anthony Ryder, Michael Grimaldi, and Steven Assael. Additionally, he was a founding member of Jacob Collins’ Hudson River Fellowship, participating in its first two years.

In 2009, Southwest Art Magazine named Langstaff one of “21 Under 31: Artists to Collect Now.” His work has been featured in The Artist’s Magazine and several instructional books. A two-time recipient of the Stacey Foundation Grant, he has also been a multiple-time finalist in the Art Renewal Center Salon. In 2012, he was invited to exhibit at the inaugural World of Art Showcase at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort. Langstaff has shown his work in galleries across the United States and is currently represented by the Bowersock Gallery in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

A dedicated portraitist, Langstaff has completed commissions for clients throughout the country, including the Arlington Club in Portland, Oregon, and the Musser family, former owners of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Since 2013, he has been an active figure in Southern Maine’s art education community, teaching at Sanctuary Arts in Eliot and the Maine College of Art in Portland. He currently co-teaches at the Aristides Atelier, an online classical atelier founded by his former mentor, Juliette Aristides.

Originally from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Langstaff has lived in various parts of the United States and Europe. He has spent much of his adult life in two opposite corners of the U.S.—the Pacific Northwest and New England. A two-year residence in Prague, Czech Republic, provided him the opportunity to explore Europe’s great museums and deepen his artistic studies. Today, he resides on the southern coast of Maine, where, when not painting, he enjoys exploring the region’s coastline and mountains.