Joel Anderson

JOEL ANDERSON / 2024
“I want to make you smile,” says Southern California artist Joel Anderson. Author, illustrator, international speaker, philanthropist, and award-winning artist. Anderson’s talents include painting, digital media, animation, and video production. Anderson’s synesthesia and autism inform his art, “When I hear music, the notes have color.” “I love to paint portraits and capture the person’s soul.” His unusual techniques and brightly-colored art have earned him the description “The Artist of Smiles.”

Anderson speaks internationally using his art in his presentations about autism, inclusion, and friendship, sharing that God has a purposeful plan for each of our lives. From preschool to University, Anderson is an inspiration to everyone. In 2019 Anderson spoke to both Drexel University in Philadelphia and Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Andersons’s art has garnered international attention and has been displayed in museums and galleries across the globe including The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum; Chiba City Museum of Art; The National Art Center in Tokyo; Oceanside Museum of Art in California; Soho Digital Art Gallery in New York City; and The California Museum. Anderson has participated in international group shows in China, Peru, Japan, Canada, and Armenia.