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Three Tips For Finding Oil Painting Supplies at the Best Price

"An excellent piece of art work records the essence of the subject matter as seen through the eye of the artist. A fantastic piece of artwork exposes the inner-workings of the artist and connects to the viewer on a human level.

I preface this article by mentioning that I tend to avoid writing pieces that have a personal or psychological connection to me; nevertheless, who much better to discuss the career of an artist that has covered almost five decades then someone who has observed it first-hand?

I am speaking about my daddy, Raymond J. Wattenhofer, Jr. He is the essential example of the male who has absorbed whatever the world needs to offer and in turn caught those experiences on canvas. Evaluating from the point at which he began his walk through this world, you 'd think he 'd be the last one to express his observations on life via paintbrush and canvas. And yet, that is the medium he selected to tell his story and, in turn, alter the perspective of everyone who views his pieces.

Raymond went into adulthood a knowledgeable Midwest rancher and horseman who, by the time he was seventeen, had amassed his own impressive livestock herd and quickly learned the ropes to ending up being a successful cattleman. The Vietnam War remained in full swing and, looking for adventure, he employed in the United States Coast Guard, earning his way onto an elite search and rescue group stationed off the waters of Puerto Rico. The thought of this might stimulate daring passion in a boy, however there was a dark side: He and his team were accountable for collecting bodies after significant disputes and airline company crashes. This experience affected him deeply for years to come and ended up being the crucial point of his evolution from kid to man to artist.

After the war, he and my mother returned to the Midwest, at which time he adopted the isolationist way of life and progressed even more into a self-reliant, hardcore do-it-yourselfer: Raising honey bees, growing his own food, making his own alcohol and even creating paper products from basic materials. This is when the requirement to reveal himself through art started to smolder in his tummy and soon burst into a full-on inferno of creative enthusiasm.

He taught himself the lost wax procedure for developing bronze sculptures and, although my family was incredibly poor, handled to scratch together the materials to develop his own foundry. What followed was a really prolific period of sculpture production to which he applied his knowledge of animal husbandry and developed spectacular pieces that caught the essence of the western horseman and cattle rancher. He even produced a handful of life-size and heroic size pieces which are presently shown around the country.

As his artistic development continued it emerged to experts that his work was extremely cathartic and, ever so slowly, the darkness in his soul declined. However the deep-rooted angst he had actually felt for years would not be completely quelled up until he brought himself to the next level. One day he woke up and chose it was time to become an oil painter.

Years of frustration followed as he painfully discovered the techniques of oil painting that would fully capture the essence of what he aimed to communicate. However technique is just part of what makes a great painter: You need to want to put all of it on the line and expose your soul to the world. Till an artist wants to stand naked and susceptible before the world he/she will never connect with their audiences. This was the hardest obstacle for Raymond to overcome. He was raised with a ""carry your own water"" mentality, where genuine guys were strong and quiet and never exposed personal weak point.

There is absolutely nothing sadder than an artist with fantastic strategy however who hesitates to put themselves into their work: technically skilled pieces, yes. And yet, completely soulless. It takes an excellent leap of faith to transcend our own fears and say to the world, ""This is the real me, warts and all."" You want your audience to stand and ponder your work, make them want to persevere your eyes as the real you sees it. If they win a brand-new viewpoint, seeing the world just a little differently and therefore changed, you have accomplished your objective.

Years of blood, sweat and tears have actually settled for Raymond. He has achieved what all excellent artists need to achieve to bring their art work to the next level: Expose your pleasures, your pains, your sadness and your flaws and the world will like you all the more. Do not fear your own mankind for that is what links you to the rest of us."