Episode 34: Joe Berton

Your hosts Barry and Jim first talked to their pal Joe Berton (along with fellow MMSI stalwart Pat Vess) back on Episode 16, chatting about painting in acrylics and the benefits of modeling clubs, but they’ve been wanting to do an entire episode focusing on his body of work and many insights into the hobby ever since. Now, here it is!

Based in Oak Park, IL, Joe has been an active modeler since his teens in the early 1970s, and he is one of the most acclaimed artists and well-loved friend-to-all in the miniatures hobby. A retired art teacher, he’s a man with a million stories (and a rather famous alter ego, at least among baseball fans). We enjoyed every minute of talking with him, and feel like we’ve only scratched the surface, so we may well have to consider a recurring segment. (We do love the idea he floated of “Travels with Shep.”) Meanwhile, as always, we picked some of our favorite pieces to discuss after this interview, and you can see more of Joe’s work here. Enjoy, and thanks to a recent grant from the Shep Paine Education Fund for keeping this podcast coming.

Barry & Jim joint pick: “Van Gogh’s Bedroom,” Joe’s first box diorama in 2021.

Barry Pick #1: “Van Gogh at Arles.”

Jim Pick #1: “Monet at Giverny.”

Barry Pick #2: “The Rug Sellers.”

Jim Pick #2: “Desert Laddie.”

And one more: “Revolt in the Desert” (Joe does love his camels, and Jim loves how this piece echoes Shep Paine’s famous Historex mounted trios).