american artist roger dale brown 2007 spread view.pdf

7/26/2019 American Artist Roger Dale Brown 2007 Spread View.pdf

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58 American Artist www.myAmericanArtist.com www.myAmericanArtist.com Octobe

Succeeding as a FineArtist With SavvyGoal-Setting Strategies

Successful artists share certain qualities incommon: ample talent, unwavering self-discipline, and skillful technique. Adding

to this mixture is something Nashville artistRoger Dale Brown happens to have an abundanceof: a knack for thinking big. Because of this, thedream of becoming a fine artist was easy enoughfor Brown to conceive. But the mechanism thatset his dream in motion was his commitment toachieve a series of specific, quantitative careergoals. “Looking back over the span of my career,one of the most critical aspects of my develop-ment has been the ability to set goals, giving me

the direction and discipline to succeed as a fineartist,” says Brown. “I’m not an organized personby nature, so setting goals provides a structurethat helps me stay focused and gives me some-thing to shoot for during the year.”

Staying on target did not always come easilyfor Brown: He was the kind of kid who couldhardly sit still in class and had little interest inwhat teachers had to offer. Ultimately, it was life’s

Because he began his career as a

fine artist relatively late in life,

Roger Dale Brown knew he had to

make up for lost time by setting

specific career goals and following

through with detailed strategies.

by Michel le Morton

LEFT

Canyon Light

2007, oil, 48 x 60.Collection the artist.

BELOW

Cotton Creek

2007, oil, 27 x 40.Collection John andDana Griffith.

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Tall Cottons




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lessons that taught him how to channel his creative energythrough a paintbrush and realize his potential in fine art.After a turbulent adolescence and years of moving aimless-ly from city to city, Brown moved from Missouri to LosAngeles in 1993, marking a turning point in the artist’slife. It was here that he landed a job in an optical retailstore, where he struck up a friendship with a muralist whocame in to buy glasses. After seeing some of Brown’s draw-ings, the muralist hired him as an assistant. The large-scalemedium of mural painting must have appealed to Brown’soversize imagination because his success was immediate.After working as an assistant, the artist created his ownbusiness painting murals in the homes of elite Los Angelescelebrities and television business executives.

Still, he longed for the freedom to chart his own artistic

course without commercialism driving his work, and at theage of 38 decided to become a fine artist. At first, Brown didn’thave a plan to back up this decision, other than to quit LosAngeles and move back to his hometown of Nashville. Oncesettled, he began to paint furiously-although rather haphaz-ardly, he admits-to make up for lost time. “Because I got a latestart with my painting, I knew I had to catch up by putting alot of brush miles behind me,” says Brown. “Instead of goingat a calm career pace of 70 miles per hour, I was going 100

field studies. “Keep in mind, too, that field studies are justthat—don’t go out and expect to create a masterpiece everytime,” he advises. “Enjoy studying new techniques and experi-menting with how the masters painted. Their teachings, com-bined with mentors’ advice, peer groups, and workshops, cangive a comprehensive understanding of what makes art great.”Following the example set by the Old Masters, Brown tellsserious art students to practice their drawing skills. “Schedulespecific times during the week to sketch,” the artist says. “Also,take sketching materials with you wherever you go, whethertraveling by car or on an airplane, waiting for an appointment,or even going to parties or your kid’s soccer games.”

Daily practice in painting and drawing techniques, aswell as diligently studying the masters, were important firststeps for Brown, yet the artist realized early on that these

alone would not be enough to get him where he wanted togo. After a year of weekly art classes taught by Hazel King,an 86-year-old icon in the Nashville art scene, Brown nextset his sights on obtaining the best instruction he could findthrough a workshop with Scott L. Christensen in JacksonHole, Wyoming. He credits this particular workshop in2002 as one of the most important events in his career.Under Christensen’s influence, Brown learned that fine artand the great outdoors pair together perfectly. And not only

miles per hour, for four years. This probably wasn’t the bestcourse of action because, just as in other areas of life, balanceis important in art. But somehow life’s challenges and adversi-ties seem to motivate me like nothing else.”

Rather than chase a vague goal of learning how to paintbetter, Brown wrote a detailed plan that included setting timeaside for studying art, obtaining a specific set of drawing skills,networking with other artists, and painting both field studiesand studio work. “I also set goals for my yearly income,including how many paintings I realistically needed to sell andhow many galleries, shows, and events I wanted to be involvedin to accomplish my long-term plan,” says Brown. One of theshort-term goals the artist set was to complete one painting aday for an entire year. “My first year of painting I did 350 fieldsketches; my second year I did 327,” the artist recalls. “I also

painted between 120 and 140 studio works. Painting becamemy highest priority—other interests and hobbies were put onthe back burner, and I became an avid student of art, takingclasses and reading books about the masters.”

Brown would read for hours on end, scrutinizing pagesfilled with works by the artists he admired most: Anders Zorn,Edgar Payne, and John F. Carlson. He now advises students tonot only read the masters’ writings but also to dissect theirmethods and paintings, and then apply that knowledge to their

BELOW LEFT

Sailing


BELOW RIGHT

Flowers andCrystal

2004, oil, 28 x 22.Private collection.

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Blue

2006, oil, 36 x 36.Collection LandAmerica,Richmond, Virginia.

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Conversing




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was painting on location immensely enjoyable to a lifelongoutdoorsman like Brown he also saw gratifying results inhis paintings by following Christensen’s disciplined meth-ods: master the fundamentals, set strict goals for schedulingpainting time, and paint outdoors to observe nature directly.

While taking Christensen’s workshop Brown met fellowNashville artist Dawn Whitelaw, who became his mentor backhome in Tennessee. “Dawn is the definition of a true artist,”says Brown. “She is not only a great artist herself but also findstime to study, teach, and mentor. She got my art career on theright track.” Whether working outdoors or in the studio,Brown follows the same procedures he first learned fromChristensen and Whitelaw. “I use a limited palette of cadmium

yellow light, cadmium lemon, cadmium red light, alizarincrimson, ultramarine blue, and titanium white,” he says. “Witheach painting, I ask myself, ‘What do I want to say about thisscene?’ Then I locate the brightest color, the sharpest edge, andthe darkest value in the composition. Sometimes, it takes rear-ranging objects to make a more pleasing composition. I thinkan artist can capture the essence or tell the story of a scene bet-ter by taking liberties with the composition rather paint a literalinterpretation. As I work, I visualize the end result. When theactual painting agrees with my vision, I know it’s time to stop.”

Although he will always have a special fondness for land-scapes, Brown deliberately paints a variety of subject matter,knowing that each genre has something to teach an artist.“Painting figures helps sharpen drawing skills and the abilityto create form, which then carries over to landscape painting,”explains Brown. “Still lifes are wonderful to help build skillsin observation and composition as well as to learn subtle rela-tionships between value, color harmony, and temperature.”

As Brown’s confidence and skills grew, so did his ambi-tions to build a thriving career as a gallery artist and workshopinstructor. His goal has been to teach six workshops annuallyand to participate in national exhibitions and paint-outs everyyear—a strategy that resulted in not only good résumé materi-al but also important networking opportunities. “I have givenadvice to a lot of people at shows and in workshops and, inreturn, I have received valuable information from them. Forinstance, early in my career, I learned how to interface with

gallery owners and find a gallery with the right mixture of artists for my work. It’s important for artists to research gal-leries before approaching them to make sure it’s a good fit.When you find one, ask for an appointment and be ready tosubmit a professional-looking portfolio.”

Although setting clear goals was an effective way tojump-start his career, two ethical decisions Brown madefrom the start also helped increase the demand for his workand teaching: First, he decided to paint only for himself and

according to how he sees the world, not according ttrends; and second, he determined to give back as mpossible. “Believe it or not, this is one of the best mtools of all,” the artist admits. “I try to help people aas possible, and in one way or another it comes bac

To make great art, aspiring artists need to learn see subtle nuances in their subjects, but they also nkeep an eye on the “big picture” of their careers. Tocessful, artists need to have foresight, develop a lonplan, stay focused, concentrate their efforts, and buskills and confidence if they want to reach their grepotential. “The most important way to achieve this better!” says Brown. “Don’t be fooled into thinkinghave to do is market yourself. In the long run, a claskillful approach to making art is what will keep yobusiness and earn the respect of other artists and anoisseurs. The best marketing goal is to stay true to

self and your artistic ideals by not bending your prto accommodate the market. And whatever level yoachieve in acclaim and income, remember that thegoal of all is to enjoy the process.”

Michelle Morton is a freelance writer from Greensboro, NCarolina. She recently completed a book about Guan WeChina’s foremost watercolorist. For more information on Mvisit her website at www.mortonartsmedia.com.

62 American Artist www.myAmericanArtist.com

To read a transcript of a recent live onlinechat with one of Roger Dale Brown’smentors, Dawn Whitelaw, visit the Critiquessection of www.myAmericanArtist.com.

www.myAmericanArtist.com

Dawn Whitelaw explaining how she sets up her

palette to a workshop of students at The Factory,

in Franklin, Tennessee.

About the Artist

Originally from Nashville,

Roger Dale Brown has trav-

eled extensively throughout the

United States studying and

painting with notable artists

Dawn Whitelaw, Scott L.

Christensen, George

Strickland, and Everett

Raymond Kinstler. Brown is a

member of many professional

organizations including Oil

Painters of America, The

National Arts Club, Plein Air

Painters of the Southeast,

Cumberland Society of

Painters, and Allied Artists of

America. Every year, he partici-

pates in solo shows and group

exhibitions and conducts plein

air workshops through presti-

gious art galleries and arts

organizations. His work is in

private collections throughout

the country, and his clients

include many well-known

celebrities and major corpora-

tions. For more information onBrown, visit his website at

www.rogerdalebrown.com

BELOW

Docked


OPPOSITE PAGE ABOVE

Sunflower


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Blue Cree

2004, oil, 40Private collec

“Enjoy studying new techniques and experimenting with how the maspainted. Their teachings, combined with mentors’ advice, peer groupsworkshops, can give a comprehensive understanding of what makes art g

american artist roger dale brown 2007 spread view.pdf

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