A Painter At Heart

dlail

Going through some files today and ran across a photo of a self portrait from when I was in high school. I guess I have always known I wanted to be a painter.

When did you first know you were a painter at heart?

Veronique

I've always wanted to be an artist but I'm never fully happy with anything I create.  At some point though you have to own it and call yourself an artist. I was 52

CJD

In grade 7 I said I wanted to be a graphic designer and my drawing was selected to be the cover of the school yearbook for that year. Quit art at the age of 13 though other than taking high school art class

MichaelD

The only thing that I was remotely any good at in school was art. I guess I was on a level pegging with another guy who was top of the class in it, though I considered him better at it than me.
My art teacher advised me if I stayed on at school I would pass my A level exam but I couldn't as life events took over.

In 2015 at the, not so tender, age of 52 I reawakened the dormant artist within me.

I am so glad I did.
  

PaulB

Wow, there's a common thread here.

Never did know. At the age of 52 decided to try painting to see if I like it, challenging myself to do 100 paintings, which in my mind constitutes giving it a good try. I start #95 today. It's going okay.

dlail

Seems like we are all rediscovering our inner artist later in life. I ended up being a graphic designer @CJD - and it isn’t anything like being an artist. 

dlail

Yeah - life has started settling down and I have found I’m less in a rush. I have the time to really focus on projects now.

Forgiveness

I was born an artist and developed myself and read and studied books. By the time I was 7 years I knew that this is what I wanted to grow up to be and won first place award that year, I was a star. I learned to chose good role models to follow along the way. I studied through highschool and spray painted logos on our highschool football team's helmets, we had no budget for this. I continued practicing studying independently and through independent art school. In 1984 I attended a great art college and was an honors' student and made many great friends, in fine art and graphic design, just before the computer. Life got in the way and ended that short lived adventure and I went on to work in graphic design and illustration for advertising, again before the computer. This too was short lived but very successful for that moment. Then I went independant, I rendered chalkart on the street locally for 9 years and nothing else. In 2006 I continued independent but really given up and lost,  through 2012-2014 I watched Mark Carder's videos on yt for 1 1/2 years through a friend at his place and found myself here in 2014 where I've dusted myself off from the old and learned anew and carry on and have fun!
 I most often worked at sculpting, drafting, watercolor and acrylic airbrush, now I work in oil. 

dlail

WOW @Forgiveness what an amazing story, thank you for sharing it. 

tassieguy

I loved art as a kid. As often as I could I would go to museums to look at paintings. I got good marks in primary and secondary school for art. And that's where I left it for some years. I had a go at painting in my early twenties but quickly decided I was no good at it and I had to pay the rent so couldn't devote the necessary time to it. 45 years later when I retired and needed something to do I decided to give it another shot. I was almost at the point of tossing it in again when I discovered DMP about 3 years ago. I'm so glad I found this place. It's been wonderful. Painting is all I do now. 

HondoRW

My earliest art memory was drawing a horse at about age 5 and showing it to my mother, who didn’t believe I drew it. I had to show her by drawing in front of her. I drew a lot when I was a kid, superheroes mostly. I took one art class in 7th grade and never pursued it. Attended a local workshop in Beaumont, Texas in the 1980’s and painted an unfinished landscape. Shortly after that I did an oil of an elk in the mountains (I’ve always loved the outdoors). Then I didn’t do anything in art for almost 30 years until I retired last year from a major oil company. Now for the last 10 months I’ve been concentrating on painting and I’ve completed 7 paintings in that time. I love it. 

oilpainter1950

I inherited oil paints and brushes when I was about 12 years old.  However, I had been drawing women in fancy dresses for my girl friends and getting paid a dime for the effort for a long time.  I pursued oil painting from Jr. High to present.  I was a really poor painter until I went to a Mark Carder workshop.  That changed everything for me about 5 years ago.  The painting was sporadic due to family obligations.  So even though it was years of effort the quantity was limited.  Quantity is more important than almost anything.  Happy painting everyone.

BOB73

I was born an artist, I'm told, though I never really worked at it. I was also born with a hose in my hands (umbilical cord) so I was also a born firefighter. I worked at that for 47 years. So, as a painter, I make a pretty good firefighter.

Richard_P

Well I am British so we don't l like to boast. However seeing as I am an international man of mystery and the reincarnation of da Vinci's... Cat, I've always liked seeing old masters works. I did art at school but then had to get a job so I didn't properly get back into art until a few years ago when I started learning about dmp.. 

kaustavM

Nothing unique; I painted since I was a child. Life got in the way. First real taste was acquired in 1993 by looking at Van Dyke's paintings - fine colors, amazing strokes, beautiful forms. Then in 1996, when I was 14, an English Constable showed how to see and feel  After 29 years I'm trying harder not to fake it thanks to my wife and my dad.

BOB73

I think we had a similar discussion before where it was mentioned that humans are born artists. After food and shelter, there's art (or creating things) as the third priority. The truth of this is in the earliest cave paintings, decorated pottery, baskets and clothing adorned with beads and shells.

Boudicca

At, you guessed it, 52! I decided to get back into painting. I had previously attended art college in my 20’s, so there was a bit of a gap...

Kodiakwood

“A painter at heart” probably early twenties when taking art classes in college. I’ve always had a flare for painting, but my sculpted pieces were really nothing more than three dimensional paintings. I became disillusioned with the business of art and left California for fantastic adventures in Alaska. Commercial fishing and family life consumed most of my time for years. I’ve lived on Kodiak Island for most of my life. 
At 67 heart failure forced my retirement as Engineering/Facilities Director of the Kodiak Island Borough and landed me on the heart transplant list at Stanford. I received a heart transplant in September 2016. So thankful! During my recovery I started drawing, thinking it might help my tremors. Drawings were pretty poor at first. Art and other creative activities have proven to be very therapeutic for me. Now I have time to make art (2 and 3 dimensional), create beautiful meals for friends, and help my wife with the gardening. Life is good! This forum and Mark Carder are a big part of my ongoing learning.

Persia

I loved to draw as a child, as most children like to do at 11 years old. When in grade school I would d raw and show my pictures to my teacher.

I also loved to write stories. For some reason the school thought I was gifted- if you read the stories or saw the pictures you would think they were nuts!

But in grade 6 they (the school) decided to send me a few days a week to a local college in a creative writing class and put me into a few fine arts classes. They use to pay for taxi's for me there and back. The creative writing classes didn’t amount to anything. And unfortunately for me the arts programs at the time were mostly batiking and weaving. But they did have a life drawing class. It didn’t take too long before I was told it wasn’t appropriate for a young person sketching nudes.

I did meet some very interesting people at the school. My Mum said they were all hippies who went to school because they didn’t want to work for a living. Haha

Now jump from 11 years old to let’s say 45.

Found myself with an illness that left me self absorbed.

I decided to start painting to distract myself –from myself.

I have been painting, crafting sculpting for about 13 years now.

Sold quite a bit, mostly regret it. One of a kind and all that.

I love (loved acrylic) but I really want to paint in oils.

Found Marks site and decided it’s time.

Now I just have to leap!

I’d like to start with a portrait of my mother from a sepia photo.

But having a heck of a time trying to figure out what value of skin tones to use.