Gruber Painting

Joel Gruber: Choosing a Focus

By James Florence, Senior Writer

SAN JOSE — After years of splitting his livelihood between two seasonal jobs, Joel Gruber came to a point where he had to choose between a paintbrush and a snowboard. “Over a six-year period following high school, I worked two jobs,” he explains. “During the summer, I was a painter, and during the winter, I was a ski lift operator up at Squaw Valley. It was an awesome time. Eventually, however, I realized I needed to choose a focus. Ultimately, ...