I’ll keep saying it: you don’t want to be better than another artist, you want to be better than you are. Only you can be you and that includes your art. Your art develops, and you within it. Hour by hour, year by year. Very early on, I was unsure about myself and my individuality. In a way, I was a poor imitation of others. I had good drawing abilities but still felt unsure about myself and my art. As time went on, I became more aware of my life, who I was and where my art was going.

Working hard brought confidence—not an outward, brazen confidence, but one where I actually became my confident self. Developing my skills in the extreme, finding myself in a steady process like constructing a building, brick by brick.

I’ve never tried to get a personal approach in my art, it’s something that just happens. The thing is, we can’t predict what our unique individuality will be. What I did was paint and learn, discovering what I needed from my hits and misses and from the art world around me. Our well-earned personal approach comes on its own—not by thinking about it, but by doing it.

COWBOY BEN A casual but hearty rendering of a relaxed cowboy named Ben. Observe how I lay down the first simple shapes, the essential parts of his face. We see the tone of his skin against his cool white hair and beard, then the few skin highlights. The fun continues with very important details that bring him to life. Capturing those bits accurately brings about his character and momentary expression. We in the arts can bring life to what we create whether as authors, in music, in art or in acting. This fellow will be around for my great grandchildren to see. You bet he’ll still have that same untroubled look.

 

My Art, My Life
There are many who know more about the world of art than me. They know plenty about many artists and their histories, the different schools of art, the effects of art on society, the broad techniques and approaches used throughout the ages. There are those scholars who have spent their lives studying and researching and formulating impressive thoughts and theories on such grand avenues of art. What about me? I play solo—my art in my life.

The Right Medium
Pastels have a great lasting strength. Under good conditions, your pastel works will look pristine hundreds of years from now. Just think of those people way into the future, gazing intently at your marvelous art in some noted museum. Amongst the many reasons I love to work with pastels, here are two: they are immediate and hands-on. Just that thought makes me want to do a pastel right now. Excuse me for a moment.

Tools of the Trade
I use my small right-hand finger as part of my creation on paper, maybe to soften an edge or push one color into another. Once in a while, I’ll use other cleaned fingers. Even the palm can make swipes. Bunched up paper towels are also great in certain areas.

INUIT This art piece was done around half a century ago. Those were the years I was becoming even more myself, expressing my skills, having the need and pure joy to create art. Here we see that spirit fully released with pastel onto paper. This loving mother is standing quietly with her dear child, and we observe eager pastel movements throughout. Blending accuracy and passion.

 

Opportunities
Early in my career I had to find my own special opportunities, as most weren’t offered to me. No question, to me it was a very dodgy world. I depended on my own creative ideas in surviving. And I did. I’ll add that my friends saw my eccentricities were way beyond reason. While that is true, those eccentricities seemed to work. Through all these years, they’ve helped bring me right here, chatting with you, dear reader.

Art Axiom
Everything has a meaning. Everything. Don’t forget that meaning for something can be stratospherically complex or simple as a pin’s head. Art has everything, including some motivating things that cannot be explained, bringing inspired heartbeats. A highly detailed sailboat on rugged waves, a finely detailed eye next to a splendid swoop of hair. All brought together with colors, shapes, values and design, culminating in grand works of art. You and I both know what those artworks do to us and for us.

Centers of Interest
Hair is certainly not as important as facial features, but from my aesthetic perspective, hair can work wonderfully with the face and background when enthusiastically creating a painting. Hair can elevate the importance of facial features in the overall visual impact. Think of hair and background shapes all brought together in the overall composition, around the center of interest: the human face.

Eyebrows are massively important in works of art. Get the photo of a famous person and block out the eyebrows. We notice how much that takes from the character of the person. Even to the extent that we might not know who that person is.

Making a Living
For years I’ve been extremely happy making a living as an artist. Some months are better than others. Being in the art world carries no guarantees, something very familiar to all artists, but we surely appreciate getting a hard-earned check in the mail.

Money certainly wasn’t the reason I wanted to be an artist. In my teens, I was told that artists don’t make money and that I’d live in poverty. Obviously I didn’t listen or care, and here you see me many decades later, still doing what I’ve always wanted. Since the age of 7, I’ve had a motivated one-track mind.

A Thought
Write down the things you like about your life. What you appreciate and really enjoy doing, and where your mind drifts to during the day. Narrow those thoughts to the impassioned needs and musts. Now leave it alone for a week. At the end of those seven days, look at these inner self assessments.

Go over them fresh and see what they’re saying to you. Mix those chosen thoughts with ideas you totally trust, using a light, energized soul. Ponder what is drifting into those craving corners. Be curious with new visions that may come to light.

PLAINS CHIEF  There is thought and determination within this man’s expression. His features combine with the strong lines and shapes surrounding his face. More details in his features contrast with slightly looser strokes in the headdress and necklace. The lightest part of his face is reflected on his right side; the source of that light also touches parts of his headdress. The lights against darks throughout this work add dramatically to the overall composition.

 

Keep Drawing
Continually drawing and sketching keeps the hand coordinated with the mind that’s guiding it. Drawing all the time nourishes the brain cells, which helps creativity flow, often in happily surprising ways. Indeed, art is a mind healer. Tonight, let’s do a half dozen quick sketches just before bedtime. Notice how peacefully we will enter into dreamland.

A while back, I spent at least a month each year drawing animals from life. Doing this gave me great strength in all of my art. No matter how difficult a project was, I was ready. In fact, I never looked at anything as either difficult or easy. I recommend getting out and painting or drawing for its own sake, no matter the medium or subject. You would be surprised with all the subjects I’ve worked on with my pastels. For sale or not, I’d be in my studio or out with my art friends drawing whatever was in front of us. There was no limit to our locations or subjects. Those were storybook years.

The Value of Values
Be very careful of the values of highlights and reflected lights. Otherwise a wonderful work of art can be diminished without those subtle differences. I’ll add about making shadows too dark or lights too light. While drawing, I sometimes squint a bit and see the basic values. Comparing those values to the true darkest dark and lightest light.

Steady and Intentional
Through the years, many of the professional artists I’ve known work in a steady, intentional, searching manner. With this seemingly meticulous approach, their work slowly develops as a very personal, vibrant and arresting piece of art. It doesn’t look fussed over and contains numerous areas of pure bravado. I continue to be in awe of the masters’ touch; they are in total command and have a vision of what they’re after in their painting. The results contain what you and I would call truly inspiring art. —