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Why did I get interested in art? I remember in kindergarden (my very first year of school), the first day we did art, the gave us clay to work with. All the kids were making crude rolled snakes and balls of clay. I made a 3 dimensional bird that just blew the teacher away. I guess I didn't know that I wasn't supposed to know how to work clay, but I just fashioned what I saw. The next time we worked with clay I did a horse complete with a field and fence. Again I guess I was doing something a grade 5 or 6 student would likely make. So at an early age I knew I had some artistic talents.
My sister who is older then me, used to be better at coloring at I used to get jealous. Sheila would color the lines darker and then shade in the sections..I always liked her shading, so I guess I practiced that. Having a sister that was better then me for art helped drive me to do better myself.
In elementary school kids were making hot rod race cars and I guess I wanted to fit in so I worked hard and built a long 20ft poster filled with hot rods. Still I couldn't draw in 3d and I never could learn how to trace properly, however a student, Jason Short, knew how so I asked him to teach me. While I couldn't trace very well, I started to understand the concepts of making a 3 dimensional object on a flat piece of paper. So I set out to design my own cars based on what I saw...not from tracing. My sister Sheila also knew how to draw a cube and I guess one day I sat down and wanted to learn, so I grabbed a dice, studied it carefully and managed to draw a cube! It wasn't long and I could figure out how to draw what I wanted to see, rather then a flat object. So I guess in most ways I was self taught.
My grandma used to take me to the art museum in Saskatoon called the Mendel. She would always get me looking at good paintings and asking me "how did they manage to paint that to look real?". I guess thinking about that and breaking it down into layers and methodologies has helped me to paint the way I do.
Michaelangelo did when I was young. I liked the fact that he devoted his life to painting a Church filled with art and to this day he was remembered. Leonardo Da Vinci as well since he was also an inventor. So art at an early age I recognized that art and design go hand in hand as my brain has always been filled with ideas and inventions as well. One reason why I took engineering (got my bachelors degree)to help me develop inventions (long story).
I got a book when I was a kid called Modern Painting and it also covered many of the contemporary masters. In it an artist by the name of Estes painted a high realism work called "Booths" basically of a phone booth with reflections and such. I decided to learn how to paint high realism and worked at it hard on my own till I finally figured it out. It takes a lot of patience and analyzing what your brush does with the paint. Most people don't have the patience to learn or to take the time to do such works, but once you know how to paint high realism; You basically have the skills to manipulate the paint to creating any style or object you want.
Other artists like Monet for impressionisms I really enjoyed. Picasso, Chagall for the use of design, shading and color. What happened to me was the computer bubble jet printer came out and it can print a photo with ease, so I figured why would an artist bother to paint high realism when a machine can do better in minutes? Its one reason why I stopped doing art for a while, then actually gained a higher respect for the impressionists and such as another way the human can see an object and create a thing of beauty. I mean I used to hate abstracts and such, but once I mastered high realism and computers came out I decided that maybe the humans ability to see things differently is something that will be cherished.
Even as a child I liked Dali's works even though they looked disturbing. Tanguy was another. I knew that in order to paint like that I would have to learn how to paint realistically, but also paint whats in my mind or dreams. It's a lot harder to design something to look real without an object to look at, so in many ways a surrealism is an ultimate challenge. I guess today I like to paint bright landscapes from my mind in a surrealistic quality...
In university I enjoyed even de Kooning and Klimt for the freedom of movement they use. My Engineering at the University taught me to work hard so I took an art class when I was done as a treat. They didn't teach me anything new, but it was fun to paint in a setting with other students. I was told when I was done my classes that year that I produced the cumulative works of a Masters Student. LOL The profs basically asked me what I would like for a mark. I decided I didn't need to take more classes, that I would be better off getting a job in engineering and making a career. I started a software consulting company, then decided to do art on my own...basically an early retirement. While I didn't have much money when starting...I knew I had to do in my life what I should be doing, namely my art. So, I went out on my own and started painting...in my quest to further develop the field of art. My goal...to make my own style of art...to further the field of art...much like science grows.
As a child I had a near death experience and I experienced a great place I guess many would call heaven. So I have lived a pretty much mixed up life of trying to figure "why we are all here" and topics such as that out. I do strongly believe in "carpe diem" Seize the day. After all how many days go by and we don't accomplish anything? Why not make a painting instead. Learn and grow and make something beautiful for people to enjoy. I took engineering because I thought I should do something useful rather then art and because at one point I wanted to become an architect. Also there was huge pressure from my parents and peers to "get a good job". Big mistake, I mean there isn't much creativity in simple beam and girder construction. Engineering does use the other side of the brain and while most engineers are good math crunchers they are not very creative. The fact is, having creativity first I think allowed me to come up with creative ideas on how to solve complex engineering designs that few others could do. I thought I would paint when I retired. I owned a software company that did software consulting, so I guess I learned how to solve complex problems and run a company, but wasn't happy (I was chasing my million instead). Chasing money didn't pan out, so I decided I might as well chase my passion, which is my art. So if I was to give any advice to anyone it would be follow your dreams and your natural talents and at some point things will work out. With art, it will certainly be tougher then most routes...but your best job is the job you enjoy doing, so for me it was painting.
I have had many successes and complete failures in life. I guess what I have learned is don't worry about making a mistake, just learn what you did wrong get back on the horse and try something else or try again. I came close to getting rich off of software development and it didn't pan out in the end. Also relationships that have gone sour in my life has caused many setbacks. At one point, I found myself moving from crap job to crap job punching in the hours waiting for the next paycheck to come in and always having more bills then income. Rather then get upset about it, I decided to make a plan. I mean you have heard of the term "starving artist", well it is basically true.
Very few people actually make enough money to live on to paint. So, first off, I lowered my expectations in life materialistically wise. What I mean by that is I worked hard in owning everything in life as opposed to having new things but leased. I drove around in older cars that were paid for. I moved out of the city and bought a cheap house 45 mins out of town and worked hard to own it rather then pay rent. Later on, I found a mobile home in the city which I bought outright even though the square footage is smaller (I no longer had to drive 1.5 hrs a day). I worked hard to save money to buy track lighting and art supplies, because $1000 in supplies doesn't go very far. While working at a crap job I would paint after work and on weekends and would set goals to try to keep at it. I tried saving all I could and one day when I didn't like work anymore, I quit. I prayed to God that I will do my best to make a living at art, or die trying. LOL
My first year of painting was the most difficult. I ate a lot of rice and frozen vegetables, keeping a tight budget. I first started to paint high realisms but the time and effort required to make one, I never could recoup my investment on, so I focused on painting other things. After all, painting a high realism is like doing the same thing a bubble jet printer does. It is excruisiating work copying something else to make it look photo-real...but there is no creativity to it. Sure its good to develop skills though so you can master the paint and have it do what you want it to, rather then be led by the paint and have the paint do whatever it wants...dribbling down your work and ruining things. LOL I even had to walk or ride my bike around rather then drive my car. All my money I plowed back into buying art supplies and keeping the bills paid. I sold my art on Ebay, for very little money as Ebay costs a lot to advertise, especially if you use a featured ad. I live in a small city, if I lived in a major city there may have been local markets for me to pursue...but remember each hour pounding pavement looking for a place to hang a work is one less hour you could be painting a 2nd work! I didn't focus on getting art in galleries, cause frankly I didn't like the commission they charge and the fact you have to wait to make a sale. Instead I look at each painting I do as an ad that someone would hang in their place and hopefully attract anoher buyer. I basically had to work very hard, so you have to learn how to paint fairly quickly and do something different, then what other artists do. I set a goal of painting 30 paintings a month and basically stopped watching TV or heading out much in order to do it. Later on, galleries have started to buy my works. I didnt have to push them or plead and beg.
The works I do now are because I enjoy painting a surrealistic but bright and mysterious landscape. I like trying to come up with a composition that will keep people interested in the work, be bold but also pleasing and calming to the eye. I look forward to developing new styles of work. I'll never settle on doing just one type of painting for the rest of my life.
I use acrylics because they don't smell and my studio (which is a trailer still currently) I don't have space to have many works drying. Why do I still use a trailer for painting in? Its all about saving money. Its cheaper to use and I want to travel. So when you head out to other countries, you don't have to worry about as many bills and such. Put the money in investments and have it build your retirement and ability to travel the world. OK back on paints. Acrylic is harder to blend, but I have worked hard in getting better at working with it. I like the fact you can clean a brush with water rather then solvents. I now live in a condo, but still at this point use my trailer as my studio. Sure I would like a better place, but have learned the power of saving. I saved 20 grand in 2 years and have set a goal of making 50 grand a minimum savings. So I guess right now I'm playing the stock market while I do a painting. Very few people can have the time to manage their finances while working. LOL
I guess right now I feel retired even though I work hard painting and at some point my investments will basically cover most of my monthly expenses to give me even more freedom to travel the world. Art is great because you can write off trips and since I wish to travel, art is a great thing to be doing. The last couple of years I have now had the freedom to just take off and visit a place. I bought a good digital camera for taking pictures and am now doing surrealisms or other art based on places I have seen.
Since I live in Saskatoon, I haven't bothered opening up a gallery. Instead I work hard selling my works all over the world so its kind of funny that I'm not even known much locally, but I'm fairly well known internationally.
Well I guess that's how I managed to get to painting. I took a small step each time and with hard work slowly have been getting there. I was recently in the top 100 prints on art.com and galleries are starting to contact me. LOL I never applied for art grants, never took unemployment insurance to paint I did it all on my own even though my parents were basically against it. One small step forward and a plan on how to get there. Lots of sacrifices and hard work, saving and practicing, but now everything is easy. At some point I may buy a better place to use as a gallery/art school.
I now live a very free life where I can play and get paid doing it. LOL
If you look at most people who may make more, they don't have that good of a life. The potential to make up to $40,000 a month is there (another artists in my IBND.net group has made that). I haven't made it yet, but I'm starting to get some $5,000 months. My goal is to focus on making art I am proud of rather then just chasing a buck. So I want my art to stand out from what has been done before...so that someday people might remember me. That's not bad for a living artist. Just keep paying your bills off and when you have extra money put it into the bank. At some point, you don't need the money and can start marking your art up in price. I'm now increasing the value of my art every 6 months and if a work doesn't sell, I put it in my Ebay store where I can afford to wait for the right customer to come along and buy it.
I have been contacted
by galleries, but if they charge an enterance fee I don't take it. My art should
be able to stand on its own. So don't ever think that you need to get a degree
in art and have the best resume. Work hard at your art, study other artists...learn
from others. Its a life long process. People think of art as a dead science...because
nothing new is happening. Work hard to develop your artistic skills in making
something new in the field of art.
Unfortunately with success comes imitation. The innovative artists who find success by creating original, unique works will inevitably be mimicked by copy cat artists trying to make a quick buck. I've personally had to deal with 'copy cat artists' copying my wording, my marketing, and my style, and I'm not alone. For this reason, myself, and other artists who have also fallen victim to copy cat artists, banded together to form the elite art group IBND.
If you are a collector who wishes to support truly ORIGINAL art please be sure to search IBND on eBay. IBND: Imitated But NEVER Duplicated. SEARCH IBND for exceptional, cutting-edge works from the artists who create not imitate!
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