Joe Bluhm

Joseph Bluhm was born in Laceyville, PA. He attended the Cleveland Institute of Art with an Illustration major from 1999-2002, and from there went into the field of caricature and illustration, working at many theme parks, primarily destination locations such as Sea World and Disney World. Training hundreds of artist from all around the world, Bluhm visited Tokyo, Canada, Germany, and dozens of locations across the US before moving into animation in New York. Here, he designed, boarded, and art directed a large Y&R campaign in Europe for Virgin Media, through So! Animation. At So! Animation, he also worked with FOX, Playhouse Disney, Ideocracy, and Scholastic. Bluhm was also contracted to design for Bette Midler via Atlantic Motion Pictures, as well as working with Adecco, Mott's, and the estate of John Lennon. During this period, Bluhm continued to illustrate for national and international publications including Vibe, Penthouse, Naked Eye, and others, as well as publishing his own books through his imprint, Art Squared Publishing. His first book, REJECTS: The Extreme Art of Retail Caricature, has received much acclaim in the caricature, animation, and illustration communities. In 2009 Bluhm relocated from New York to Shreveport, LA to work as a storyboard artist for illustrator, writer and filmmaker William Joyce on his first personal project, The Fantastic Flying Books Of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Here, Bluhm was the first artist hired for what is now Moonbot Studios. As of January 2010, Bluhm is at Moonbot as a story developer and concept artist.