An Ego Boost

By Ed Baranosky

    When I was a boy my father made pencil drawings of deer, dogs and birds for me. He took up the fad of the time, painting by number.

    When he retired, I would tell him “Dad you should try doing your own paintings no matter how they would come out.” He never did. 

    To prove a point I bought a box of paints with all the colors.  I bought a Robert Foster book on oil painting, brushes, turpentine and linseed oil. I made an easel and painting knives.    

   I was ready to find the “artist” in me. 

   In the beginning I copied landscapes from the Foster books. I bought books on seascapes, faces and animals. I learned as I went along about mixing hues, shading and subtle color changes of light and dark.

    With the Robert Foster and Robert Wood books. I began to see a difference in the quality of my work. 

   It wasn’t long before I was giving paintings to my relatives, friends and neighbors. 

    In 1980 my wife’s aunt was here on a visit from Scotland. She saw one of my early landscapes and remarked she liked it because it reminded her of where she had grown up. When she was ready to go home I took the painting from the frame, rolled it up and gave it to her. 

    Last night while watching Antiques Road Show from Glasgow, Scotland there was my painting being critiqued by the art expert. I didn’t recognize the woman who brought it to the show.

    With a pointer he described how the winding road in the foreground leads the viewer into the painting. The wisp of smoke rising from the chimney of the house in the middle ground takes you to the faint yellow mist in a vale reflecting a morning sun that is only hinted at by the hue of the sky off to the left. Distant verdant hills brings the viewer full circle.

       He told the woman that there was an interest among collectors in works by unknown artists for this type of art. He learned of a similar landscape by an unknown artist sold for 12,000 Euros at auction.

    He said he thought her landscape brought to auction should bring approximately the same price.

    Did I mention among my other achievements I’m now a World Famous Artist?