Alan Arthur by Kathleen Ward
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lan Arthur slowly studies his paintings as he sorts them in the alcove of his studio outside Keithville, LA. The early afternoon sun filters through the skylights, replicating each scene’s distinct natural light just as he saw it and was inspired to capture it in a painting. His subjects range from cityscapes to wilderness areas to country life, but he carefully avoids romanticizing the subjects, particularly farm scenes. “I don’t want anybody to look at a painting and just feel good because Daddy plowed,” he jokes. “What I’m interested in is the composition, not the subject. Interesting shapes and colors, just sitting out somewhere.” Those shapes have captured his imagination for 40 years in scenes he has painted in Europe and Scandinavia and from Vermont to northwest Louisiana. The discovery of a frustrated would-be artist’s discarded paint box in the neighbor’s trash when he was 13 led to a lifelong fascination with painting and a steadfast determination to hone his skills. It has been a long pursuit, sometimes interrupted by the demands of life, for which he makes no apologies. “I made the decision to get a regular paycheck instead of pursuing a shaky career as an artist. I did not want to be an embarrassment to the family if I failed. Also, there was a great deal of timidity involved, as I have never been comfortable as a self-promoter. I still detest this.” An avid hunter and fisherman, Arthur sometimes finds his subject matter in out-of-the-way places. He often drives around, sightseeing with his paints, an easel and a camera until he finds something that looks right. “If it interests me, I can see a painting there. If the light changes, I take some photos and go home,” often finishing the work in the studio that day. “I try as hard as I can not to lose what I saw when I was out there.”
The Best Of Times
Top: Poppies, Red and White, 60x36 (oil on canvas). Bottom: Two Cows 11x14 (oil on panel). January 2016
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