Hope you had a wonderful Easter yesterday! I had a wonderful day of church and house hopping (our whole family lives in the area), and passed out about 8 p.m. ha!
This past week in the studio, I finished up reworking a Cayman cottage scene. Once it's dry, I'll post a picture of the finished product!
Courtesy of HowardBehrens.com
In other news, this week was a bit sad as the man who inspired me to begin painting, palette-knife artist Howard Behrens, passed away at the age of 80. When I was in college, I tacked prints of his gorgeous Italy scenes all over the concrete walls of my room, and they helped me to escape the stress of school when I gazed at them.
After the school year ended and I came home for the summer, I had the opportunity to take over my brother's room and redecorate. I really wanted the same feel as my dorm room, so I decided to attempt to capture a large scale Italian scene in the same vein as Howard. Why I thought I could paint a large scale mural when I had never picked up a paint brush I have no idea, but I chalk it up to a God-given inspiration. That started my love of painting, and now my full-time career, and I have Howard's beautiful artistic ability to thank for spring boarding that.
Bellagio Deja Vu Courtesy of HowardBehrens.com
Howard's paintings are absolutely incredible, and his use of palette-knife (read: metal knives instead of brushes) create a gorgeous texture that can only truly be appreciated in person. While Howard was internationally known and loved, he was born and raised in the DC area, and he lived in both Potomac and Reston later in life. His love of travel and passion for the impressionist masters of old led him to paint incredible scenes of the Mediterranean, Mexico, Italy, and beyond. I personally loved his Italian scenes, specifically that of Lake Como, and because of his scenes, I found my way to Lake Como twice in the past few years.
My dear friend Susan and I both in Europe separately for work, and met up in Lake Como together!
Howard Behrens worked for the U.S. Government Printing Office for 17 years, all along the way painting at nighttime. Slowly his paintings became world-renown and he was able to focus on it as his full-time job. His hard work and dedication to his work inspired me that you could pursue your passion while working a 9-5 job. I have no idea how he managed this for 17 years while raising four children, as I did it for about five and I can tell you it is quite tiring, and that's without kids!
While he lived close by, I was never able to meet him, and while I got close a couple of times, he was unfortunately very ill by the time I had a close enough connection. I was sad to hear about his passing, but I am so grateful that God made his work cross my path, as it has shaped my life's work and was the vehicle by which God showed me part of what I was destined to do.
I hope you have an inspiring week and that you think about who in your life inspired you!
No comments:
Post a Comment