MY LIFE AS AN ARTIST

       In one of my brief stints at college in 1979 at Andrews University in Michigan, I was introduced to abstract art by my cousin. Jackson Pollock, Helen Frankenthaler, and especially Morris Louis were among my influences. I experimented pouring oil paint thinned with turpentine on gessoed canvas, and discovered the magic of painting with liquid colours, mostly in quite symmetrical patterns. Like the abstract expressionist masters, I often worked in large canvases; 6' x 4', 4' x 5', I even did one painting 6' x 10', the largest canvas I could buy and still on my wall to this day! (pictured below) Throughout the 80s I continued painting, but not quite with the intensity and stick-to-it-iv-ness of more prolific "serious" artists. I sold a lot of my art, and gave away more, but I usually sold them for less than $100. My art was quite popular. I did a one man show at Riverside Community College. I was also able to exhibit at a gallery in Riverside, CA and almost sold one for $700.

       After the 80s it wasn't till 1999 that I painted again. A gallery owner had seen pictures of my art and offered to do a one man show, if I would produce a series of 20 fairly small (by my standards) paintings. She insisted I learn to paint with acrylics on raw canvas, like the famous abstract expressionists I respected so much, instead of oil paint on gessoed canvas as I had previously done. Working with Windsor and Newton acrylics dissolve in cups of water, I decided to do the paintings with the same limited choices of pure colours, 5 or 6 in total. I found the water solution of paint less easy to control than turpentine, which added a little more random element than I achieved with oil paint.This has to do with the different viscosities of water vs. turpentine. The show was a big success attendance wise; All my friends showed up, but I only sold one painting for $200 to my brother! After the show I sold quite few to friends, gave away some, and sold another to my brother (great guy!!) Five of these 1999 paintings are pictured below. The painting with the uncanny and totally unplanned resemblance to the continent Australia is the fourth picture below and is the only one of the series still in my possession.

       I don't fancy myself a painting artist so much anymore, but who knows what the future might bring. I consider my clavichord performing and my violin work my art, and the main outlet for my artistic tendencies. Quality violin restoration is a real art form , you might even say a lost art form at some retailers!! I love my work, and couldn't imagine having a more satisfying job, and thank the good Lord for the opportunities that have been presented to me.