No shortcuts and no different than any other profession. You never stop learning. But that’s the fun part – it never gets stale, there’s always more to paint. Like a lot of industries, we’re living in the middle of significant art evolution. In the last few years, the world has really changed for artists, and for me in particular.
1. Tell us about your background and journey.
Art, it seems, has always been a part of my life. Like most kids, I drew a lot. By the time I was 12 or 13, I was drooling over art supplies, so I bought my first paint with the money I earned from chores. A paintbrush has been a natural extension of me ever since. In the years that followed, I got my Bachelor of Fine Arts then started a career as a freelance graphic designer, illustrator.
After 15 years of illustrating products and services, I was ready for something more meaningful. I’d always loved books, history, and learning, so it seemed very natural to pivot to creating art for children’s picture books. Through my paintings, I was able to bring wonderful stories to life. Creating art for books challenged me in a whole new way.
And I started painting in oils again. I’d forgotten how much I loved oils the buttery-ness of the paint, the smell of linseed oil. During those years, I created art for more than 20 books for children, worked with wonderful publishers and authors and became a public speaker, and spoke to thousands of kids. I loved being able to tell a story through my art.
Eventually, I worked primarily on non-fiction historical books, which was a real joy since it combined my love of history with my painting. Since each book took anywhere from six months to a year to complete, it honed not only my skills but also my love of research and storytelling.
A few years ago, I felt a strong pull to get back to my fine art roots, where I could express my own vision and really find my visual voice. Today I’m a full-time landscape oil painter and my art is collected by people from all over the world. I also now have an online art school with more than 1,200 students in my painting courses, again from all over the world.
2. How and when did you decide to pursue art?
Since I picked up a paintbrush – I sold my first paintings as a kid to neighbors.
3. What kind of themes inspire you?
When I looked for inspiration, I didn’t have to look far to find it in the Texas landscape. The big powerful, stormy Texas skies. The romantic sunrises and sunsets. The lazy rivers, creeks, and streams. The way the light plays upon the trees and rocky terrain. You don’t realize how unique the Texas landscape is until you travel to other parts of the country and world.
I’ve also spent a lot more time painting one of my favorite subjects: clouds and big Texas skies. I’ve been painting clouds since I was a kid and made great use of clouds in my books. Now I often use clouds as the primary focal point in my paintings, rather than just as a stage backdrop. So, I’ve spent more time on them to bring them to life. But clouds are complicated!
I learn more with each painting. I love the challenge, the problem-solving that clouds require. They’re just fascinating. Like many artists, my style has evolved over time. My sense of color and my color palette has really evolved, too. Have I mentioned that I love light? At heart, I’m really a Luminist painter; light is a huge part of my work.
That’s really what I’m trying to capture. My background in picture books definitely impacted my point of view, so I hope I’m bringing that to these new paintings as well. I want whoever is viewing my paintings to feel like they’re “there”.
Like they could step into the painting and be a part of the moment. To connect emotionally with the scene. To feel a sense of peace, or joy, or anticipation. To step into the painting and really experience it. That’s the common thread throughout all my art. I want it to be personal.
4. What are the hardships of being an artist and how do you overcome them?
Art is not an easy career, but it’s definitely been an exciting journey. Even though I’ve always been self-employed, in my first couple of art careers, my clients were ad agencies and book publishers. That’s a pretty well-defined group. Moving to fine art, I’m now also an entrepreneur and the world is huge – collectors can come from anywhere.
And the unfortunate reality is they don’t teach business skills in art school. So we, my wife and I had to embrace running this as a business – and that includes all the typical challenges that come with running a business. Which is not easy for most artists – we want to create! It takes a lot of hard work, years of dedication, and a lot of time spent creating and perfecting your craft (both art and business).
No shortcuts and no different than any other profession. You never stop learning. But that’s the fun part – it never gets stale, there’s always more to paint. Like a lot of industries, we’re living in the middle of significant art evolution. In the last few years, the world has really changed for artists, and for me in particular.
Traditional models are changing – which opens up all kinds of possibilities that didn’t exist just a few years ago. I try to remind myself of that, but it’s hard to see sometimes when you’re in the middle of it. For example, until Instagram, few people saw my work unless it was in an ad, or until one of my books hit the bookshelves.
And certainly, almost no one outside my family saw my work until it was finished – so it was a very solitary creative life. I also used to think people wouldn’t understand what they were looking at during the developmental “ugly” phase. All that has changed over the last couple of years with Instagram.
Today, thousands of people see my work every day and follow along as I’m painting, from the beginning stages to the end. And frankly, my audience today is larger than I ever expected, and it continues to grow. Everyone is so generous, and the feedback is inspiring.
I also can see really quickly which of my paintings and subjects people respond to the most. That’s wonderful input for me and keeps me motivated. Many new collectors have also found my work through Instagram – which still amazes me – it’s such an accessible platform. I’ve also found so many artists who inspire me, too.
That pushes me to do more or try something new. It’s opened up a whole new world that didn’t exist when I started painting all those years ago. It’s all still evolving and who knows the effect social media will have on art long term, but I know it’s been a real positive for me.
5. Which is your favorite artist and why?
The painters of the Hudson River School continue to influence me. In particular, Fitz Hugh Lane, Frederic Church, and Albert Bierstadt (who were also Luminists). Their belief in the grandeur and beauty of a place is transcendental and can truly change the way life is perceived. But honestly, there are so many artists who are inspiring – past and present – really too many to name.
6. What message would you give to aspiring artists?
I like to say all it takes is practice, patience, and time. But there’s a lot in that simple statement. Art takes lots and lots of practice – in my case, lots of “brush miles”. Unlike some skills, it’s not something you’ll learn and be done. You can never learn it all – so you really need to embrace the idea of being a life-long learner.
It also takes perseverance – because it can be frustrating if you’re not developing your skills as fast as you’d like. Remember that negative critiques aren't bad it's how we get better. All the 'that's beautiful!' and 'You're so good!” won't help you get better.
Above all, at times it will be hard, very hard. But like anything worthwhile, if you want it bad enough and are persistent, you can do it! I also want to emphasize art doesn’t have to be a career – it can be something you do simply to enrich your life, for the joy of it.
7. Which is your favorite book and why?
Only one? I love all the Harry Potter books. J.K. Rowling is an amazing writer. She develops characters and worlds that are so rich and deep. I also love Steven King’s books for the same reasons.
Layne Johnson
Interviewed By - Anshika Maurya
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