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Page 2 of 2 Randy, you have been creating art for more than 20 years. You started to paint after you had an accident. That's an interesting story.
I love to paint (Smiles) I have been painting ever since I was a kid, but when I moved to Los Angeles one of my goals was to exhibit my works and sell paintings. I came up with the idea of these Tat on the Wall exhibits. I started off turning loft space, vacant buildings, gas stations and warehouses into gallery spaces. I would invite everyone I knew. At the time I would do all my own promotion and publicity. For every show I would paint 25 - 30 paintings (all sizes). I would set up lights, great decor and everyone thought it was a gallery space. Within the year after each show I would end up selling all my paintings. One time, I had 3 people requesting the same piece. Your art pieces have a long process and some of them you re-create them.
Yes, painting each piece a little differently. I'm from Seattle, several years back I had an exhibit in Pioneer square and a great open warehouse space. I rented a van and my wife and I carted 20 paintings up to Seattle. It was really great to invite all my friends and families to the show and develop a following up there. I then got gallery representation and did quite well up there. When I was 21 years old I decided to travel to Europe and the middle east alone. I had a eurail pass for Europe, a round trip plane ticket Seattle to Germany and back, no credit cards and $1,000 cash. I made a commitment with myself that if I got in a bind I would not call home for money. Six months into my trip, I broke my leg on the island of Corfu and I spent my first night in Italy in the hospital. I spent every night following that in train stations and in parks with a big heavy cast on my leg and a cane. I ran out of money very quickly. I spent my last dollars on watercolor paper and paints. Then all I did was paint and sell my art on the streets. I was able to make money for food and sometimes, shelter. It taught that I had the inner strength to do anything I set out to do. To make it happen-- and still maintaining, my pride, self-respect and integrity. I painted on beaches and on trains. Your artwork tells a story.
I love to look at the many paintings that I've painted throughout the years. They are magical to me. They are like my personal journal. When I look at a piece (whether it's in a photo or the original) I know where I was at that particular time in my life, who my friends were, what my family was up too and what made me tick. The colors and the palette: I can look at the emotion I was feeling at the time: sad, happy, or confused. One time I was painting this piece that started looking like a colorful amusement park. We just finished a barbecue and I started using the paper plates as my color pallet. Then I decided to incorporate the paper plate into the painting, creating the Ferris wheel. You would never know it but the plate represents the fun of going to an amusement park.
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