Today Perry did a wonderful lecture on Style and Influence. He shared a lot of information about famous artists and who they studied under, and also shared his own artistic heritage.

There was one story in particular, about a friend of his named Cary Austin. It starts with a lot of promise, as this artist studied alongside Perry in college; and won an award from the Society of Illustrators. He was then noticed by the Greenwich Workshop, which features many great artists.

 But due to some mistakes and a self destructive lifestyle; he was dropped for not meeting deadlines and now works a blue collar job. Perry said he probably hasn't touched a canvas in 15 to 20 years. It's a very sobering story, but one that I feel we should ultimately be prepared for.

If we are able to become noticed in the world of art, we still need to remain relevant and consistent. People will have to be able to depend on us enough to trust us with their money.

When Greg Manchess visited awhile ago, he asked to see my sketchbook (cringe). I stuttered and stumbled and was very hesitant, when he said, "You need to be more confident in your work. If a client sees that you are shy, they might start to think you are shy with your deadlines."

I bit the bullet and showed him, and he had a good laugh. But the lesson was learned, not only do we need to improve upon our artist abilities, but also we need to present ourselves as competent freelancers etc.

The story of Cary Austin shows a seemingly common side of the world of art; and I hope to learn from the misteps he and others have made.

I also decided to look into my own influences in an effort to become a better artist. So far, my major influences are Don Seegmiller and Perry Stewart. With Don, I have done portraits that attempt to have a similar feeling, which sort of tries to be close to Bill Whitakers method.

 

This was an assignment I did from Don's workshop; basically trying to emulate how he digitally painted a portrait of a girl. Bill mentioned that as new painters, we shouldn't blend for quite some time, until we can master the process of putting down paint effectively. He then said that he, Don and Emily Gordon were crazy because they blend everything. 

I noticed that I tried to do the same as Don did, and still continue to try and do so. 

When I think of a quintessential traditional artist, I immediately think of Perry Stewart. There doesn't seem to be any medium he hasn't tried and mastered. I've tried to emulate his work many times (and failed) but I feel like it shows in some of my water colour paintings

 

Of course, Perry helped with this one; but every time I try to create something traditionally or any kind of artistic experimentation, I tend to think of Perry's example. 

Both Don and Perry and super well rounded artists, and I find that I am always trying to emulate them in some way. In my sketch books, I noticed a lot of influence from Don's style

He tends to draw around the shapes, and anything with Prisma on toned paper I am just trying to copy him. 

I notice that when I do figure drawings, I tend to try and emulate Perry. (not successfully) Watching him work is always a privilege. 

Both of these artists have forever changed the course of my own artistic path, and I hope to learn and grow more from their wonderful examples.