Born in Nashville, Arkansas in 1936, Joseph Dawley graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1959 and enjoyed an award-winning career as a realistic Renaissance Style artist throughout the 20th Century. During this period, Mr. Dawley was commissioned by the Vatican to paint the official portrait of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, which was unveiled at the canonization ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica.

When a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease sidelined Joseph in the eighties, rather than admit artistic defeat, out of adversity emerged sheer genius! Though no longer able to paint, Joseph Dawley's impressive use of blurred line with soft tones, cultivated in order to create impressionistic works in place of his previous Realism, have earned him the title of "Renoir of the 90's