Artists Are Always Young

"Artist are Always Young" this quote was written under my high school year book photo.

I remember the picture well, I had just come back from a swimming class and my hair was a mess. I chucked at the quote, not being terribly impressed at 17 years old, I was more concerned about the unflattering photo.

Me, 2019

Dad' Day at the University of Illinois, where I was majoring in painting and commercial design

In this shot from a local newspaper, I was working from a nude model, circa 1959

Now, many, many years later, I understand. Artists are always young because we are never finished with our work. Just when I get the inclination to put the paints away, I get another idea about developing more techniques for my paintings.

It has been more than 60 years that I have been a working artist.

Just finished this abstract. Encaustic and mixed media, on board

I had a battle convincing my parents to let me be an art major in college. My mother often said, "You are going to have to survive on beans and live in a cold-water flat." She insisted that I take a semester of typing so I could get a job after school. My first job was in the art department in a book publishing company in Chicago.

I always carried a sketchbook when I was traveling with my jazz musician, Kai Winding. I sketched and painted musicians for 12 years.

backstage at the Nice, France jazz festival, circa 1981

Process of a very large mural, circa 1990

My Christmas display in Artisimo Gallery's gift shop. About 23 years ago.

My partners in my first gallery, Artisimo, Scottsdale AZ. Note the T shirts I painted for some occasion.

My first abstract painting done during my second year in art school. Casein on illustration board. circa 1953

I Repeat, I Am Not An Encaustic Artist

Sure, I have worked in the encaustic medium for 20 years. I can share many simple and advanced encaustic techniques and am always stretching what can be done with this medium, but that is not all that I do and love.

Diversity . The antonym is "Uniformity" Years ago someone suggested it would be better for my career if I would stick to one style and medium so my work could be easily be recognized. I have been working professionally since I was 21. I was hired by a book publisher in Chicago to work in the art department. I am now 85 years old. That would have been a lot of years making the same paintings. I wouldn't have lasted or kept my sanity.

August was a busy month. I had a full encaustic workshop, a drawing class and a new student learning to paint portraits in oil. I love it; going back and forth from abstract to figurative and using different techniques. In between, I have started another mixed media, encaustic abstract.

If you can measure and understand negative space, you can draw.

First we laid out our palettes, and started with the darkest darks, working through the mediums and the lightest color is last.

Everyone was busy making their original encaustic paintings. Next week is a new class

I start with the white milk paint base; apply watercolor and diluted inks and then the clear encaustic. Lots more layers to come.