This month, Rob, from Portland, Oregon, is the second of two guest artists at Louise’s ARTiculations. If you wish to be featured as a guest artist in a future post on this website, please contact me.
Do visit previous guest artists published in 2018 here.
A lifelong pursuit of art
For as long as I can remember, I loved to draw. I think most children love to draw; I just never stopped.
My first art memories were drawing the Woodstock logo with my older brothers. I also remember being perplexed how to draw something coming out or going into the page - what I now know as perspective. Putting 3 dimensions into a 2D page was like magic. I sold my first piece in 3rd grade - a scratchboard of a giraffe for 63 cents and a stick of gum. The kid scratched out my name and wrote his own as a gift for his mom. I’m sure she loved it.
I studied art in college and have worked in graphic design for 30 years. I’ve had seasons of painting after college, but this latest season began in 2011.
Since then, I have consistently painted a few times a week for a few hours each session. I work mostly in oil, and sometimes in acrylic. My paintings are most often landscapes, but I love a quick charcoal portrait.
Favourite artists as inspiration in my own art
Why do I paint? I love many things about it.
It’s therapy where I lose myself and act on instinct. I love the challenge of realism, yet know I won’t perfectly match reality.
My ideal painting is one that could be mistaken for a photo from a distance, but as you get closer, it becomes an expression: the paint suggests what’s there. I admire Tim Horn who achieves this in almost every painting. I love his ability to show light. https://timhornart.com/
Also, I love Edward Hopper - his architecture, serene landscapes, lost figures, and light speak of America. I admire the impressionists for their light, classical artists for their accuracy to reality.
Working in graphic design, I try to keep up with 3D rendering methods.
Programmers describe light and reflection, absorption, scattering, surface geometry, and perspective so they can present that on the silver screen or on your game console. Following that research gives me insight to realism.
Although I’m no programmer, and I don’t know the equations of light propagation, I do have that concept in mind as I paint. And I realize I won’t get it perfect, so I have freedom to suggest it as I don’t do well with details.
If you wish, you may find me, as Louise did, on these social media sites.
(Happy Birthday, Rob!)
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rastermon
Instagram Rastermon14
Lovely work Rob and congratulations for being featured on Louise’s web page.
Beautiful work Rob, especially the girl in the window. Thank you for sharing Louise.