Meet The Artist
Living the Artist's Life
What is it like to be an artist? To a non-artist, it appears to be a life of vacations to far away places, enjoying the scenery and recording it on canvas.
The inner life of an artist is rarely revealed except to those who are close to the artist. Each time the artist stands before a blank canvas, many emotions surface. Fear is the first. Will the painting fail? Am I good enough? Am I capable of injecting my emotions into the painting rather than simply re-producing what is before me?
Notice that the artist's concerns are about himself and his ability, not whether the public will like the painting. You see, an artist paints the subject matter that pleases him in a way that pleases him, not what he thinks will please the public. If the public connects with his painting, then it is icing on the cake.
Being an artist involves committing to the design and building of a painting. A good painting is not derived from an arbitrary episode at the easel, but rather requires analysis and time to design, develop and construct.
The daily challenge is to continually develop style and technique. Development is difficult because it involves letting loose of ingrained habits that have served us well. To give up something that works in exchange for something with no guarantee of success is a risk the artist must take; otherwise, his work becomes stale.
One must learn how to tolerate and overcome dry spells and creative block. Although frustrating and painful to break through, the invigoration that follows quickly heals the pain. It is from such dry spells that the artist is given the opportunity to move on to the next level of accomplishment.
Being an artist means never having enough time to paint as much as you would like. Most artists are one-man shows responsible for marketing, advertising, framing, crating, and shipping their work. Then, there is the paperwork involved in any business ... bookkeeping, paying bills, and taxes ---all of which require the artist to use the other half of his brain.
Then, there are the humorous moments of Plein--Air painting best described by Vincent Van Gough,
"Just try going outside and painting things on the spot! All sorts of things happen then. I had to pick off a good hundred or more flies from [my] canvases ... not to mention dust and sand [nor]the fact that if one carries them through heath and hedgerows for a couple of hours, a branch or two is likely to scratch them ... and that the effects one wants to capture change as the day wears on."Is the life of an artist worth the struggle? Absolutely! Nothing surpasses the gratification of knowing your contribution to society.
"You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget that errand." -Woodrow WilsonChildhood Memories As a Budding Artist
My career as an artist has been highlighted by many events, but at the top of the list is a day trip with my grandmother when I was 8 years old. My grandmother had taken up art as a hobby when my grandfather went to war. She befriended many of the now famous Indiana Masters and was heavily involved with the Indiana art scene for many years.
One Saturday morning we drove down to Brown County, an artist colony in southern Indiana, where she proceeded to introduce me to her artist friends. First, we went to Claud Curry Bohm's house and talked with him and Mrs. Bohm on their back porch. We drank Cokes while watching Curry add finishing touches to a large seascape for an upcoming exhibition. Then, we went to V.J. Cariani's house where we visited his studio in the loft of a barn. We rummaged through racks containing some 300 pieces of his work, and talked about art. This day trip was my first exposure to people who not only lived and breathed art, but were dedicated to elevating the importance of their contribution to society. That day filled me with enthusiasm, and I am forever indebted to my grandmother for introducing me to her world of art.
Later that year, I had my first encounter with Saturday morning art classes held in an abandoned section of the local hospital in Lafayette, Indiana. My first art teacher was Sister Ruffinia, a hospital nun listed in Who's Who in American Art for her landscapes in oil. She conducted classes for children who were patients and for local children who showed promise in art.
The art classes were the highlight of my week. As children, our lives are often regimented...we are told what to do, when to do it. and how to do it. Art class gave me the first opportunity to make a choice. During one class, Sister Ruffinia arranged a pot of geraniums, a toy truck, a vase and a figurine on a table draped with cloth. She asked the class to draw this classical still life arrangement. However, she added an unusual twist. She said should we not care for her arrangement, to simply walk up to the table and change it. Well, you can imagine what a shock this was to me at 8 years old. How many 8-year olds are not only permitted, but invited, to challenge a teacher's way of thinking? I decided to test her. I approached the table ever so gingerly, changed her arrangement, and went back to my seat. I fully expected her to say she was not serious about her invitation or that she did not care for my arrangement. Instead, she praised me and said my arrangement was lovely.
This was a defining moment for me to learn, that in art, there are no rules. The only prescription is to remember that your opportunities are limitless, perhaps a tidbit of wisdom for an adult, but an enormous revelation to a child. I have carried this defining moment with me throughout my career, and bring it to the forefront each time I construct a painting.
By sharing these early childhood experiences, perhaps others will take a moment to remember and relish their own defining moments.
Artist Bio
Todd Reifers, a lifelong Indiana resident, was born in Lafayette, Indiana in 1948. His early exposure to art was through his Grandmother, Ann Reifers, an accomplished amateur painter who developed treasured friendships with the late Indiana Masters Curry Boehm, V.J. Cariani, Ada Shulz and Derk Smit.
Todd's training began at the age of seven with Saturday morning art classes taught by the late Sister Ruffinia, a Catholic Nunn noted for her oil landscapes in Who's Who in American Art. At age 14, Todd sold his first work, a caustic piece depicting a harbor scene.
During
Todd's high school years, he won three consecutive scholarships to the
John Herron School of Art's summer program. Later, he trained at the
Kansas City Art Institute and the Art Academy in Cincinnati. His early
career included serving as an illustrator for the Indianapolis Star and
an art director for advertising agencies. Then, he toured with the
California Professional Artists' Society and studied with the great
watercolor master, John Pike. Todd's close association with
contemporary C.W. Mundy has given him richer insight into the oil
medium, as well as a source of professional critique and support.
Mr. Reifers, an associate member of the Oil Painters of America, won Best of Show at the 2004 Eastern Regional Exhibition. Other awards include Best of Show at the 2001 Hoosier Salon, Best First-time Exhibitor at the 1999 Hoosier Salon, as well as the Indiana Heritage Arts 2003 Patron's Choice award and 2004 Overall Second Place. Todd is an artist member of the North Shore Arts Association (Gloucester, Massachusetts), the Small Painting Society of Indiana and the American Impressionist Society.
Todd paints predominantly on location or plein-aire. The East Coast of the United States provides Todd with many locales for artistic subject matter. A yearly pilgrimage inspires him to retrace the footsteps of the influential Masters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries that he so ardently admires. His mission, however, is not to copy their works but to draw upon their inspirational recordings to express his interpretation of light, mood and importance.
With
interests extending beyond his dedication to art, Todd has a talent for
industrial design and is a recreational pilot who built his own high
performance airplane. Hardly a day passes when the intersection of his
inventive personality and his need to paint fail to ignite new
opportunities and a cheerful zest for change.
Todd's art is geared toward the collector with a
discriminating eye focused on high art. Mr. Reifers has excellent
gallery representation at the Summerhouse Gallery in Rockport, Mass., the Brigham Gallery in Nantucket, Mass. and the Waterhouse Gallery in Santa Barbara, CA. where his work may be
viewed on a regular basis. His website address is www.toddreifers.com.
