I’m new at this. Blogging, that is. And at Painting too, for that matter. Several people suggested that writing a Blog in conjunction with this new website might be a good idea. So, that’s what this is. I’m a Painter, you see. And it was suggested you just might want to know a bit about me. And maybe even how a particular piece, or series of pieces came to pass. What I was thinking when I placed the canvas on the  easel.  Whether it was a deliberate process; part of an assignment form one of my teachers; or just something that was stumbled on to. Not totally sure how I’ll handle subsequent post’s, but this one, I hope, will give you a wee bit of insight into ME. Thats what my friends suggested.

Anyway… this is the first of such blog posts. It’s June, and kind of hot here in Dallas, TX. My friend Jeff helped me create this sight just 2 weeks ago. Actually, he created the entirety of it himself. I just supplied my Art and the Statement describing it. So, here goes.

Like I said, I’m a Painter. It also might be of some interest to know I’ve been at it since the Fall of 2012. And while that’s only 5-years. A lifetime, it seems; I’ve only been brave enough to actually call myself a Painter for, maybe 18 months or so. Not sure whether the reluctance was humility or lack of confidence. But I AM an Artist, nonetheless. And while dipping a brush into water and then pigment; or into Oil, its has been going on for those 5 years.  The process of becoming an Artist, started 2 years previous, however… in 2010. That’s when I decided to take a Drawing class, & then a class in Photography, as an Art form. That first drawing class was in the evenings at the Creative Arts Center, here in Dallas. It was a life drawing class, and while I was later to learn from my first actual Art instructor, I was doing it backwards… taking life drawing before learning any of the basics… it did get me started. Getting those basic skills did finally happen, however, when I enrolled at the Brookhaven School of Art, right here in the Dallas area. As I mentioned, Photography was the first series of classes at Brookhaven. Then Drawing. And finally Painting with a little Printmaking thrown in, for good measure. And while I’ve created a little studio for myself, here at home, the vast majority of the work I do is in the studio classes made available to me at Brookhaven, where I’ve pretty much been enrolled (Spring and Fall) since that first Photography class in 2010. All that said, I seem to have settled on Painting; both with Watercolor and Oil.

And, I must say, I look forward to those studio classes, like I’ve never looked forward to anything before. Learning from the Professors, form my fellow students; both young and not so young; and certainly from those famous creators of Art, both past and present. For me, it’s almost a collaborative process. Working in a studio environment, with lots of others surrounding me. Stimulating, for sure. And given the sheer number of pieces that’ve been created, a quite productive place to be as well.

As you look through my various galleries, you’ll see that I lean toward Portraiture. Pretty sure that comes from my lifelong interest in the Human Condition, and the things that make us different from one another. And similar. And hopefully, interesting. And to that end, I like to think every painting, or drawing, or even photograph, has a story. Or at least one that can be created by the viewer.

And with that, you pretty much understand my motivation as a Painter. To create in interesting panting, form which YOU the viewer, can conger up a story. So, there you have it. I paint to create evocative images. Hope you find some that sparks your interest.

Till next time…

Cheers

 

PS… the influence of those early Photography classes continue to be manifested in street photography. And for that matter, in how I compose a Painting. Not many days go by where I don’t point my camera or phone at some unsuspecting subject and click away. Inspired you might be interested to know, by the likes of Cartier-Bresson, Gary Winogrand, Diane Arbus, Irving Penn, and so many more.