Joe A. Rector
Joe A. Rector was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He is a part of the Cherokee ancestry. He lived in Muskogee and Tulsa, Oklahoma for most of his life, until his retirement. Afterwards, he moved to Destin, Florida, to live near his children until the time of his death in 2012.
Rector started to draw when he was about 5, and he would later become an artist after finding his passion for art.
His first drawings were done by looking at comic book characters and drawing them. As a teenage artist, he began to study all forms and styles of artwork on his own, ranging from commercial art and signs to various types of fine art. Western art became his favourite.
Rector developed a strong interest in physical fitness and became a champion weightlifter, setting several state records, as well as two national and one world record. His experience with weightlifting influenced aspects of his artwork, particularly his depictions of American Indian and other Western figures, which emphasize physical activity and bodily form in representations of early American life.
A Rector "character" painting gives the impression of strength and power but still has the grace and beauty of lines that were portrayed by some of the "Old Masters" such as Michelangelo.
Rector is listed on the State of Oklahoma's website as one of their "Famous Oklahomans". Rector was also recognized as one of the top "Movers And Shakers" in the book written by Victoria Lee celebrating Tulsa, Oklahoma's centennial.