In the decade or so that this site has been up, I have received a lot of email about a relatively small number of topics. In an effort to satisfy inquisitive visitors to the site, and perhaps cut down a bit on the number of emails I have to answer, I offer this list of my most frequently asked questions, and their answers. -SCD
Q: Will you paint commissioned work?
A: Not as such. I am not interested in doing "work-for-hire". I prefer to develop my own ideas rather than someone else's. However, from time to time, I have developed an existing field study into a larger painting at the request of a client.
Q: I missed out on a painting I really wanted. Will you paint another one just like it?
A: No. The only time I "duplicate" paintings is when developing a field study into a larger painting, and even then the larger piece is not a duplicate in the true sense, but rather a fresh interpretation of the sketch. I'm an artist, not a copy machine.
Q: Do you teach workshops?
A: At present, no. I have taught a few in past years, but I decided, as my show and gallery committments have grown, to focus on my own process for the time being. If and when I do offer a workshop, this website will be the first place you will hear about it.
Q: Are any of your paintings available as prints?
A: No. For the present, and forseeable future, I have chosen to sell original, one-of-a-kind paintings exclusively. I allowed one of my images to be used on a poster promoting my show at Main Street Gallery a few years back, but that is it. If you see anything professing to be a "fine art" print of any of my work, it is a FAKE, and an unauthorized use to boot. If you should encounter something like this, be so kind as to let me know so that I can put a stop to it.
Q: Do you sell directly from your website?
A: Not at present. Each of the paintings in the "Available Work" section is available from one of my gallery representatives. If you wish to purchase a particular painting, contact them directly. You can find their contact information on the "Representation" page.
I choose to sell through galleries because it enables me to focus my energies on painting. They do a better job of representing, publicizing, and selling my work than I ever could, and they remove the burden of those activities from me.
Q: Is that painting (insert title here) still available?
A: If it appears in the "Available Work" section, then yes. The works appearing in the Archive are SOLD. They are included on the site so that visitors can see a broader body of my work.
Q: What materials do you use?
A: PAINT: I use Daniel Smith (Hansa Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Cad. Red Medium, Viridian, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Deep, and Titanium White), Holbein (Cadmium Orange, Alizarin Crimson), and Sennelier (Rose Madder Lake).
MEDIUM: I use three types of medium, depending on my situation. For field work and paint-out events, I generally use Winsor & Newton Liquin. In the studio, I use either a 50/50 mixture of Stand Oil and Pure Gum Turpentine, or, increasingly, Artist Grade Walnut Oil. I varnish with Damar.
BRUSHES: I use Robert Simmons Series 40 Hog Bristle Brights for the most part, though I have a few sable and mongoose brushes from other manufacturers.
CANVAS: I use Daniel Smith Artist Grade 12 oz cotton canvas, mounted on either 1/8" birch ply or standard masonite for field work, or on 1/2" Gator Board for larger studio work. I triple prime each canvas with Daniel Smith White Acrylic Gesso.
FIELD EQUIPMENT: I use Open Box M pochade boxes and panel storage boxes exclusively, with a Bogen tripod.
Q: What artists have influenced you?
A: I believe that ANY work of art we see (or hear) can influence us, to some degree. Among living painters, my most direct influences have come from Skip Whitcomb, Ned Jacob, Dan Young, Michael Lynch, and longtime friend and painting companion Varouj Hairabedian. I also admire the works of Andrew and N.C. Wyeth, Greg McHuron, T. Allen Lawson, and Clyde Aspevig tremendously. But they aren't the only ones.
It is difficult to narrow down a list of the artists, past and present, who have had the most significant influence on my work simply because I admire a great many of them for a variety of reasons. The best I can do is assemble a list of those whose techniques and ideas have most directly informed my own. The list, in no particular order, including those already mentioned, and likely not entirely complete: The French Impressionists. John F. Carlson, Edgar Payne, William Wendt, Robert Henri, Charles Hawthorne, E. Martin Hennings, Winslow Homer, Jared Clackner, Carl Rungius, Maynard Dixon, Nikolai Timkov, Isaac Levitan, Willard Metcalf, Aldro Hibbard, and Charles Partridge Adams.
Q: Who designed your website?
A: I did, from the ground up.