Splatters, drips, vibrant hues and Louisiana icons. These are the signature elements that make Joe Mustachia’s work so recognizable.
And in just about three years since rekindling his passion for art, he has grown a group of loyal customers who buy painting after painting.
Mustachia has always loved being creative. He took art classes for his electives throughout high school and minored in art during his college years at The University of New Orleans. But after college, real life began, and Mustachia found himself putting down the paintbrush as he focused on his landscaping business and family. 
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After his family’s beloved dog passed away in 2019, Mustachia sat down and sketched the pup’s likeness. His wife was in awe of the pet portrait, which encouraged him to get back in touch with his creative side. Eventually, he was commissioned to do a painting of a Blue Runner can of red beans.Though the request seemed a little odd to him at first, Mustachia got to work creating a larger-than-life interpretation of this Louisiana Monday dinner special using bright colors and splattered textures.
And customers ate it up.
“I like taking an object that is just an inanimate object, and bringing life to it,” he says. “One style led to another. … I was watching stuff with Jackson Pollock and a little bit of Andy Warhol, and it kind of just joined together, and I just loved it and enjoyed doing it.”
It seemed Mustachia had found his niche. Soon, he was painting countless bean canisters in different colors and from different angles to keep up with the demand.
Though he’s resided in Baton Rouge since 2007, most of Mustachia’s pieces are centered around popular objects from New Orleans, where he grew up. Though they may seem like common Louisiana images, each subject holds a special meaning to him.
Whether it’s a Barq’s root beer bottle just like the ones he’d get during lunch when he visited his father at work as a child or the iconic Roman Candy stand where he tasted the sweet taffy for the first time, Mustachia paints with memories of the beloved city.
“New Orleans is what I like, and it brings me memories,” he says fondly.
Though he likes to create images of his home, some of his work has traveled beyond Louisiana after being purchased by out-of-state buyers. Mustachia’s art even made its way to the nation’s capital when he was chosen by Rep. Garret Graves (R-Baton Rouge) to design the poster for the 2021 Washington Mardi Gras with the theme “Louisiana: America’s Foreign Country.”
Mustachia was chosen to design the 2021 Washington Mardi Gras poster with the theme “Louisiana: America’s Foreign Country.” His work was showcased on programs, pins and more promotional items for the event.
The poster featured Louisiana’s State Capitol building and the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C., along with a pelican float and a crowd of eager paradegoers. The design was featured on programs and promotional items for the event, and he even designed ducal lapel pins worn by the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians.
Apart from the New Orleans street scenes and Louisiana products, Mustachia’s work is also recognized by the colors he uses and the way he lays paint on the canvas. He can’t complete those strategic splatters and drips—which make his paintings truly pop—without wooden dowels, plastic cups and lots and lots of paint.
“I do the splatters, and then I’ll lift it and let it drip,” he explains. “Then I’ll move this here and do that, and I’ll wait for that to dry, and then I’ll come back and do more. So it’ll take me about a week to finish a painting.”
His customers covet his bright style so much that almost every painting he creates is sold quickly. In the future, Mustachia hopes he can keep a few paintings to himself long enough to do his own show. But right now, he’s not complaining.
“My favorite part about being an artist is creating things that bring people joy, so much so that they’re willing to spend their money on something I created,” he says. “It’s not necessarily about how much they spend on it, but just the fact that they’re willing to put it up in their house where they can share it with other people. It means a lot to me.”
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“I’m not to the point where I’m out making any kind of political statements or trying to change the world,” he continues. “I’m just making things that bring joy to people.” joemustachia.com
This article was originally published in the February 2023 issue of 225 magazine.