Outdoor Festivals - a love/hate relationship

I have to admit I am not altogether fond of
outdoor art shows. I work too hard and incur too much expense on each painting in time, materials and framing to actually "love" risking the unpredictable elements to show them. It is why I seek as many indoor shows as possible.

That being said, I also recognize that many people do enjoy these shows and the good often outweighs the bad.

The wind, rain, cold or heat can be challenging for sure. Sometimes my allergies wreak havoc on the experience. And of course the occassional unsupervised youngster armed with the ever-present festival roasted turkey leg, juice dripping down his arm, suddenly spots your paintings from a distance and rushes over to touch the "horsies" can stop even the strongest artist's heart.

The interaction with people who may never go to a traditional gallery is always rewarding. Sometimes the look on their face says more than most verbal compliments. It is because of this I keep going back.

If I can ever arrange a schedule consisting only of indoor festivals though, I certainly won't lose any sleep!

The upside of failure

There has been a trend for the last couple of decades to praise kids for everything they do, under the misguided idea that this builds their self-esteem. The line between genuine encouragement and false praise has been crossed in too many areas of our society. In the old days we called this blowing smoke.

I've been through it with both my kids - everything from my daughter's "we both won!" in little league games (they don't keep score under a certain age) to endless reprieves for my son's late homework ("well we know he CAN do it if he wanted to"). I've battled this for twenty years. I'm a big believer in personal responsibility and consequences for your actions, both good and bad. I also believe there is an unsettling trend away from teaching kids how win with grace, and lose with honor. Call me old-fashioned.

I'm glad I grew up in a time when adults weren't afraid to let you fail. Had I lived by today's rules, I may still be thinking I was a decent baseball player. I wasn't. I might think I was quite advanced at playing guitar and violin. I failed miserably at both. I was blessed with two parents who backed my numerous fleeting dreams of being this or doing that, but let me discover for myself my own capabilities. Looking back, I realize how much this helped me learn what I now believe I was always intended to be - an oil painter.

The one constant, the one thing I was always comfortable doing, was drawing. The praise I recieved as a child for my artistic endeavors never felt phony, they felt earned. The critiques were invaluable. They made me want to continue learning and improving. In fact, I'll spend the rest of my life doing just that.

I've always believed we each have God-given talents, and once we discover what those are and embrace them, many blessings will come our way.

The Heat of Passion

I recently participated in an outdoor art show in which the bank sign up the street read 106 degrees one day and 108 degrees the next day.

Now wait! - before you leave, I promise this isn't a blog complaining about the weather. It's August. It's supposed to be hot. The show was well attended and I made good sales, so no complaints.

Rather this is about how inspiring it is, despite sometimes harsh conditions, to see fellow artists so passionate about their art that they refuse to be slowed down by age. Two of my friends, Robert, age 70, and Jim, age 80, were at the same show again this year. Both are painters. Both men endured the heat for the duration while several younger participants packed up after one day. Through it all, they remained upbeat (not to say we didn't talk about the temperature once or twice). But they worked hard and made sales. I very much enjoy being around these kinds of people, and I appreciate them setting such a great example of the American work ethic. These guys have been doing shows since the 1970s. My goal is to always work with the same intensity they have.

I read an article recently about artist Jeanne-Claude, in which she was quoted as saying "Artists don't retire. They die. That's all." Having noticed that several artists I admire have passed in recent years, but worked right up to the end, I know she's right.

But what a journey, what a party, we artists get to have in this life!

The Cowboy Way

As I often say and include in my biography, to me, painting represents freedom - it’s just natural that the wide open spaces, rich history and independent people of the American West translate so well to canvas. I have painted many subjects including musicians, landscapes, still lifes, nudes, portraits and pets to name a few. But nothing grabs my imagination like the people of the American west. I've grown up with them my whole life. Cowboys, Indians and mountain men all are fantastic painting subjects and represent what is best about America - freedom, self-reliance, work ethic, optimism, and love of life and nature. Horses and cows are just plain fun to paint. The grandeur of the western landscape and the majesty of its wildlife are second to none in the world. God made a great playground for painters like me. We may have limited time on earth, but the inspiration for creating works of art are infinite. I'm happy to be a part of it all.

Joy of Painting

I love to set up my easel at outdoor festivals and let kids (and even adults if they want!) try their hand at painting. It's the only opportunity most of them have ever had to paint in oils. They get such a charge out of the experience, and I enjoy giving them some simple instruction and letting them go at it. Even if it's a painting I intend to finish to show, there is nothing I can't fix later such as an off color or value.

Some kids get so into it their parents have to practically pull them away. But most are happy to paint for awhile and turn the brush back over to me. Parents love it because their kids get to try something new, and they often take a bunch of pictures to remember the experience.

A Great Honor, and a Kansas First

For the first time since their formation, the National Day of the Cowboy organization selected a painting by a Kansas artist as the image to be used for their annual award.
My painting “Simple Things” is featured on the 2010 Cowboy Keeper Award that is given to five recipients in recognition of their substantial contribution to the preservation of the West.
It is a great honor to have my painting used for this award.

Bethany Braley, executive director and publisher of National Day of the Cowboy said each year she looks for a piece of western art that says something about preserving cowboy culture or pioneer heritage, adding she thought my painting is perfect for this year's award.
The National Day of the Cowboy, based in Fort Worth, Texas, is a nonprofit organization that contributes to the preservation of America’s Cowboy heritage so that the history and culture which the United States Congress’s National Day of the Cowboy resolution honors, can be shared and perpetuated for the public good, through education, the arts, celebrations, gatherings, rodeos and community activities.
Past award recipients have included Michael Martin Murphy, U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the Rex Allen Museum among others.
The National Day of the Cowboy celebrations are planned in a number of American cities this year, as well as Europe and even a rodeo in Lebanon.

Early Influences

I was blessed with great parents, who encouraged me to develop my love of art. They are still among my most ardent supporters. My mom tells me I used to sit in front of a large aquarium we had starting when I was 3 and 4 years old and draw the fish for hours (hmm...I guess I did have some life drawing experience I forgot about!). Also, when I was very young an aunt gave me a book on how to draw animals, both realistic and cartoon. I don't know how many times I drew every picture in that book. I still have the remnants of it - no cover, pretty ragged, yellowed and some pages missing - but boy did I learn a lot from it.

Another great influence and still my friend, now 30 years after high school ended, is my high school art teacher Frank Wise (pictured). He's the one who introduced me to painting in a way which made me want to know more. I had dabbled in it a couple of times before but was mostly content with pencil drawing. So it's he I blame for all the misery I suffer when a painting isn't working!

Life Lessons

The main thing emphasized repeatedly at the Portrait Society of America conventions (and in the instructional books I read) was how critical it was to the development of a painter to paint from live subjects: models, landscapes and still lifes. I had always used photographs only. I was stubborn at first and thought my way was safer and more advanced, and I didn't like the idea of going outside my comfort zone. I thought I could accomplish the same thing strictly using photos. But when I watched demonstrations by artists far more experienced than me I began to understand how wrong I was. I saw with clarity how painting, especially portrait painting, is about far more than getting a good likeness. It's about capturing emotion, personality and beauty. It's about selecting what's important to tell the story, rather than slavishly copying a photo. Remember, a camera captures every detail, that's its job. The artist's job is much more personal. Now I paint from life often, and have for years. That experience is so vital to my painting. When I do use reference photos, which for western paintings I must do (horses don't hold still!) the observation and quick decisions from my life sessions automatically come through in my paintings. My ability has improved enormously from this simple practice, and being liberated through life study from the contraints of closely following photos has made painting, which I already loved, infinitely more enjoyable.

Portrait Society

Although I spent almost an equal amount of time in my studio when I wasn't at my office job, I felt like I didn't really have enough good paintings to do festivals, and doing festivals was the only way I knew to get my work in front of people. I wasn't ready for a gallery yet. I had already been educating myself for several years through books and plain hard work before taking this leap, but I knew I needed more. Early on, I had a real fascination with portrait painting, and thought that was the kind of painting I wanted to do, along with some figurative works. So the first major art group I ever joined was the Portrait Society of America. I attended a number of their annual conventions, and the instruction I received through these meetings from some giants in modern day portraiture: Everett Raymond Kinstler, Burton Silverman, Daniel Green, Richard Schmid and John Howard Sanden, was invaluable to my growth as a painter. There were many other painters at these meetings whose instruction and advice proved tremendously beneficial. Next, I'll explain the #1 thing I took away from the Portrait Society conventions.

And so the the Journey Begins...

There were a couple of things I had going for me that were critical in taking this new venture:

One, my faith in God and and the belief that the talent and passion He bestowed upon me was for a reason. I believe everyone is given certain talents, and it's up to each of us to find that talent and nuture it. I knew the more time I could devote to painting, the more I'd learn and the better I'd get. Learning is a life long pursuit - it never ends.

Two, I had the full faith and support of my wonderful wife. I should clarify this, I had her moral support - which is all I asked. Although she had offered, I was absolutely against her supporting me financially. I decided before jumping in that I was either good enough to support myself, or I wasn't. So we split the bills 50/50, and maintain seperate checking accounts, and another account for my business. I promised her that if the time ever comes when I can't hold up my end, I will go back to work for someone else.

The other thing I knew I'd never do was apply for a government grant. This is just me, and not a judgement of anyone else. I just can't accept money I know has been taken from other people through taxation. Any money my paintings generate will be because the buyer chooses to own one.

With these two most important pieces in place, I hit the ground running...

I'll start here

Three years ago I made more money and earned
the biggest bonus of my twenty plus years in the
corporate world. It was also the year I decided
to leave.

The security and steady income were no longer
driving forces in my life. I wanted freedom - real freedom. I wanted to paint. It was something that had been in the back of my mind for years that I always knew I'd someday do, and it really hit me that year that the time was right. I was in my mid-forties and increasingly aware of the finite years that would sum up my life. I could walk away, of my own volition, from a successful career while I was at the top of my game and pursue my real passion in life. A little scary, but it felt great!

My blog is to record the journey I'm on, one where I now know I belong.