Casey

So impressed were New Jersey-based MJ Records that they contacted the Ipswich Academy student to ask him to paint their up-and-coming soul singer Casey Brady.

And in the summer, the 18-year-old will be flown out to the Big Apple to hand-deliver his work.

Joe said: “I did a drawing in pencil (of Casey Brady) and developed it in colour.

“I’ve been asked to hand-deliver the picture as a thank you and see some of what they do out there – and some of the sights in New York.”

Ruben Camacho, co-founder of MJ Records, said: “We are delighted with his art work and the passion he displays through his art. We felt honoured that he would take his time and draw one of our artists here at MJ Records.

“As we were promoting Casey’s video, we came across his art work and were immediately impressed.”

Mr Camacho said Joe’s sketch of Casey “really moved everyone here at MJ Records”.



He added: “My business partner Edward Garcia and I decided to fly Joe to NYC by the summer time to personally deliver this masterpiece of Casey.”

Joe, who is in year 13 at Ipswich Academy studying art and ICT, has been passionate about drawing since he was a child.

He said: “I’ve been drawing since I was five and I realised I was good at it.

“I got good at drawing portraits at 14.”

Joe has applied to study Illustration at university and wants to continue drawing portraits in the future.

As part of his A-level work, he has also drawn pictures of Mo Farah, David Cameron, Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley.

Although he prefers working with pencils and colour pencils, Joe also turns his hand to oils and watercolours. - Ipswich-England