A Look into the Lives and Art of the 14 Most Enduring and Successful Poster Artists. Posters hold a special place in the art world. As one of the easiest, most economical ways for anyone to collect art, they are a medium capable of bringing artists’ talents to mass, worldwide audiences. Posters have the power to turn artists into household names, and that is exactly what has happened for the artists featured here. DECOR takes you into the lives and art of the people whose posters have been best sellers for years.
Article courtesy of Decor Magazine. Copyright Summit Business Media, March 2008.
DIANE ROMANELLO
Background: Romanello’s childhood taught her to appreciate lower-priced art. :I have always been thrilled with open-market editions, which allow everyone to own a beautiful piece of art at an affordable price,” she says. “Growing up in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City with a family that always appreciated art but couldn’t afford originals, reproductions lined my family’s walls.”
Style: Romanello’s recent shift from tropical beaches to autumn forests in part reflects her awareness of changing color palettes in the open-editions market, says Harriet Rinehart Flehinger, spokeswoman for Bentley House.
SONDRA WAMPLER
Style: Wampler’s intricate still-life work was inspired by visits to a prop shop frequented by people from movie studios in southern California. Using a 4″ x 5″-format camera and a unique, soft focus, Wampler is able to capture a moment in time. Her work includes elegant floral portraits and rich, varied photographic work.
Appeal: “Sondra has been one of our most popular artists for the past decade and continues to produce new work that is superior in technique, style and creativity,” says Meghan Faulkner of Editions Limited. “She is an icon in the decor world and has consistently created trends in the market with her innovative work, bridging the gap between fine-art photography and poster prints.”
ALAN BLAUSTEIN
Style: During his travels in Europe, Blaustein prefers shooting in black-and-white and in adverse weather because the softer lighting reveals more textures and tones. Shooting during sunrise or sunset hours produces a crisp and clean mood and shows perfect detail in highlights and shadows.
Appeal: “Alan Blaustein remains a top-selling artist at Image Conscious mainly because he is on top of photographic trends, whether they are cafe’s, iron gates, trees or shells,” says John Munnerlyn of Image Conscious. “His nostalgic, soft, romantic and alluring imagery brings the past into the present and creates ethereal and impressionistic images.”
HOWARD BEHRENS
Success: “My decision to publish large-volume open editions as posters was one that enabled me to extend my art to the masses and the classes who buy my limited editions and original art,” Behrens says. “At nearly every art event, someone will tell me that their collection began with a poster or two, grew to include a limited edition sometime later, and for many, eventually led to the purchase of an original painting. I believe that the open-edition poster channel has been one of the most effective methods I have employed to market my art.”
DIDIER LOURENCO
Background: At 19, Lourenco began working in his father’s print studio. After numerous prizes and shows throughout Spain, Lourenco moved into his own studio in Premia del Mar, Barcelona, in 1995. He continues to participate in shows and has traveled to gain inspiration for his oil paintings.
Style: Subtly exploring shape and form, Lourenco has a distinctive take on urban and lifestyle themes that signifies his unique style. Winn Devon says he has been one of its top artists for the past half decade.
LINDA SPIVEY
Style: Spivey is known for her down-home style of painting. Her approach is decidedly country — though many of her paintings transcend that — with wide appeal. She paints in watercolor, pen and ink.
Appeal: “It’s easy to see that Linda Spivey maintains the position that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well,” says Stacey Hoenie of Penny Lane Publishing. “Though her style is not overly complex, it is extremely well-executed, and each brushstroke is deliberate. She has an incredible knack for anticipating the market and accommodating current trends.”
ALICE DALTON BROWN
Background: Dalton Brown studied art at the Academie Julian in Paris. Since 1975, she has shown her works in exhibitions across the United States, and they are included in museums and private and corporate collections. She completes her major paintings in her New York studio and works with collaged photographs.
Appeal: “Alice Dalton Brown’s work continues to sell because her realist images offer a view to a desirably serene and sun-dappled place,” says Amy Wessan, president of Bruce McGaw Graphics. “It could be said that her images create windows for the viewer to gaze through into a beautiful world. Her original paintings are of a highly consistent quality and style. Her use of shadows and mastery of light have universal appeal.”
TIM COX
Background: A member of the Cowboy Artists of America, Cox vowed to become a cowboy artist even as a child.
Appeal: Cox combines the basic ingredients of color, value, perspective and design with talent and perfectionism. “His attention to exactness and ability to paint detail are unsurpassed in the Western art world,” Toh-Atin representative Sadie Sarti says. “No one paints horses with the personality and accuracy that Tim does. Ranchers, cowboys, horse owners and art collectors around the world respect his realistic style and attention to detail.”
BARBARA MOCK
Style & Appeal: Rather than produce one image that sells for 10 years at a time, Mock has concentrated on evolving her unique flower-painting skills to reflect changing market tastes. The subjects of her works in print range from old-fashioned to transitional-modern. “Mock has truly kept up with the changing times,” Flehinger says.
TOM EVERHART
Background & Style: Everhart’s paintings straddle the line between the familiar and a new way of seeing. He uses the image of Snoopy to communicate a new sensibility that is accessible and exotic. “I started working with Schulz and discovered this way of expressing things that was funny and accessible, and people could relate to it,” he says. Everhart’s recent paintings contain “sculptural tendencies” with tropical forms sculpted from poured paint.
Appeal: “Everhart’s strengths have remained an unmatched eye for color and a willingness to experiment with textures and surfaces,” says Samantha Schneider of S2 Art Group. “Utilizing the medium of fine-art lithography, he has made great strides working with master printers at S2’s lithography atelier to achieve subtle transparencies and reflective light from hand-mixed inks.”
DAN CAMPANELLI
Story: Intent on historical accuracy, Campanelli began painting historic mills in fear that they were in danger of extinction. He spends a great deal of time researching these mills and talking with historians and restorers before starting a painting. Campanelli cherishes the rhythm of the seasons and paints en plein air.
Style: Campanelli paints his watercolors to convey a message of tranquility and a deep love for the heritage of man.
KERNE ERICKSON
Story: Erickson’s art has been exhibited worldwide and featured in major surf-related publications. He has received top awards from Watercolor U.S.A.
Style & Appeal: Erickson starts with a pencil drawing, then builds transparent layers of under painting and manipulates the paint to create the illusion of depth. Erickson’s art communicates a feeling of pleasure and relaxation. “Originally, the images were created to show people that an excursion could provide them with an opportunity to enjoy different experiences, but in the hectic social environment of today, they can be equally convincing if the viewer chooses to let them be,” says company spokeswoman Reina Herrera.
STEVE HANKS
Appeal: “Steve Hanks is possibly the best, most recognizable living figurative artist using the medium of watercolor,” Flehinger says. “His sensitive paintings of women and children have earned him international acclaim, and he has the ability to capture glimpses of everyday life.” Hanks says he tries to capture an introspective solitude in his figures to deal with a vulnerability that all of us sometimes feel.
PAMELA GLADDING
Style: Gladding enjoys the beauty and splendor of nature found in her own gardens; they provide her with endless inspiration for her works. The piece pictured above was inspired by the dramatically tall arrangements of paper whites and tulips she found on a recent trip to New York.
Appeal: “Pamela Gladding remains a bestseller because her creations speak not only to the art, but also to the room they are intended for,” says Leesa Gango of Gango Editions. “Her experience of color, knowledge and passion for detailed, textile-inspired patterns allow Pamela to take her floral and still-life paintings from ordinary to elegant.”
Tags: poster art, poster artists
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