It could be said that Joseph Pimentel was raised to be an artist. His parents met in college in Brazil, where they studied industrial design. As he was growing up in White Plains, they showed him and his siblings art books featuring the likes of Picasso, Dalí, and Van Gogh, all supplemented by museum trips. “We visited the Met and other art galleries when we were kids,” Pimentel says. “Those trips intrigued me, and I was inspired by seeing how art changed and evolved during different time periods.”
Initially, Pimentel was drawn more to Marvel comics, and dreamed of becoming a cartoonist. He enrolled at the Parsons School of Design, and after graduating in 2005, he worked several jobs during eight years at Dia: Beacon, including attending the galleries. According to Pimentel, the positions “gave me an appreciation for the collection that I never thought would be a huge part of my life and also housed here in the Hudson Valley.” While there, he was inspired by the work of artists such as John Chamberlain, Richard Serra, and Louise Bourgeois.
A 2010 artist residency program in Bali, Indonesia — where he worked under the mentorship of a Mandala painting artist — was a life-changer for Pimentel. In 2016, he quit his graphic artist job to start his own company, Pimentel Murals. Over the last 11 years, the now Newburgh-based artist has collaborated with schools, businesses, and homes to create more than 170 murals in the Hudson Valley and beyond.
Including the community in his projects is fundamental. For school projects like Dover Middle School’s courtyard, Pimentel drew inspiration from drawings from students and their ideas. “This gives them [the students] the opportunity to show their ability, as I highlight as many drawings as I can in the actual painting,” he says. “Giving them the chance to paint the mural means a lot to me. It gives them ownership and also the benefits of a collaborative effort working together as a team.”
The outdoors also plays a major role in Pimentel’s murals. For Memorial Park Wee Play’s Community Mural, which was a collaboration between Wee Play and the Beacon Recreation Department (2019 and 2022), he designed an interpretation of Hudson Valley animals and landscape. “The abstraction of the landscape and the connection with the people and animals seems to find its way into most of my designs,” he says. “I have found that one of the most effective ways to bring a surface to life, whether an indoor hallway or an outdoor wall, is to incorporate elements of nature. The combination of plants, animals, dynamic shapes, and bright colors allow the viewer to enter other worlds and push past the boundaries of sterile environments.”
Some of Pimentel’s favorite Hudson Valley places, where he gains inspiration for his mural designs, include Mt. Beacon and nearby parks.
Yet this wasn’t always the case. “When I was growing up, I daydreamed about leaving this area and living in the city,” he admits. “For some reason I felt the inspiration only came from the energy of being around a massive amount of people. I’m sure it does for many people, but I became extremely distracted and disconnected from nature … returning home was always the best way for me to tap into my own inspiration. Whether hiking up Mt. Beacon or taking my kids to a nearby park from where I grew up, gives me a mix of exploration, creativity, and nostalgia.”
For some projects, Pimentel works alongside his brother Diego, who is also a muralist. They collaborated on the Dover Middle School project, which they managed to finish in 11 days despite the late summer heat of 2022.
Another highlight to date has been working on two projects for the annual Kingston-based O+ Festival. In 2018, he worked with several other artists to create a mural on the Main Printing building in Poughkeepsie, and in 2019, on a Hudson Valley office furniture building. “Both experiences were amazing, and I was grateful for the opportunity,” he says. “It’s great to see how much O+ had done over the years by giving so many different artists opportunities to showcase their talent.”
Pimentel sees more ahead, especially working with schools. “I look forward to continuing on this path [of] working with students, exploring the power of imagination, and helping young artists feel inspired by working together to make amazing projects come to life.”
