Art-Faux.com

There are several artists that I have studied with over the years and if it were not for all of them I would not be where I am today.
First off, I would like to thank Donna Phelps of the Sarasota School of Decorative Arts and Architectual Finishes who I met many years ago when I was in search of expanding my education into the decorative arts and if it were not for her I probabaly wouldnt have met most of these artists that I have met.
So to show my appreciation for them all I am going to write a little something about them and how they have influenced my life
The reason for this post is to bring attention to an artist that I met just last year through a class that with Donna’s hard work hard work managed to put it together for November of 2008 …….Thank You Donna ….. I am very greatful …..

Now I am going to write a little bit about each artist that has been an influence on my life and after being notified that there was a very special video that had been posted by Teresa Rogers Cochran I had to jump om this right away because I feel so strongly about what this man has accomplished by this 5 year project. I first started researching this artist some years ago after Donna had introduced me to yet another artist who also was a guest instructor at her school. Some how she sensed the kind of knowledge I was in search of even when I didnt know myself and so I was introduced to Sheri Hoeger an airbrush artist of Big Oaks Art Studio in California, you see Donna and I actually became close friends over the years and she probably knows me better that I know myself sometimes lmao. Shes had to put her foot down with me a couple of times. lol

Sheri is one of the most talented airbrush trompe loeil artists I have seen and I became drawn to her way of teaching because of how she deals with each person on an individual basis as do most of the artists that I have studied with and it was through Sheri that I had first heard of William Cochran.

I will talk more about Donna and Sheri later on in my “Inspiration” blog series but before I do I MUST get this one out for the world to see. In these economic times I think everyone should here this story and I can only hope that it does for you, what it has done for me.
In the summer of 2008 I was suffering through a tremendous amount of artists block that was destroying my creative energy. This was something I heard of and never have experienced it personally and quite frankly thought it was bullshit. Well let me tell you something….. it is something that is very real and very devastating….period. I would sit for hours staring at a blank canvas or board or whatever and I wanted to paint, but and absolutely nothing could get me motivated, inspired, energize whatever term you want to use, but it was destroying me creatively and nothing seemed to work to get that DRIVE, that ENERGY, that EXCITEMENT, going ………nothing…………………………………………………………..depression set in…………something has to be done

So after realizing that I had to do something about it I started researching the internet and for some reason I ended up on Williams site and remembered how Sheri had talked about William , his passion , knowledge , Inspiration and I read every single word on his site, his work , his accomplishments , his Inspiration and believe me its a big site lmao.

This moved me in a way that I can not explain and probably never will be able to, but I knew I had to meet this arist………

I searched and tried to find out if he was going to be teaching somewhere and I did find out that he was doing guest instructions at Sheri’s Studio at Big Oak Arts and from they way it looked, he was there on a regular basis which was only a couple of times a year well I was stumped, I dont know what it was or why it was but I knew I just had to get to one of his classes, but the only thing was with learning from William he will not take you as a student unless you had his prerquisite which was a color value study of a bust of “Cesar”…………………mandatory………..shit! I missed the class at Big Arts………….

Now I believe everything happens for a reason, people, places, things,circumstances………wrong…….right……..good or bad…………..everything ……… has its reason for happening in this universe and the only thing that matters is the outcome of the choices that you make……..

Well the phone rings……and it was Donna (I’m always glad to hear from Donna) and she tells me that “Art I think i may have something here you might be interested in” and she tells me that William Cochran is going to teach his prerequsite class in November…………yes the excitment was overwhelming and actually lifted me up on my feet and encouraged me to get off my ass and paint something even if its wrong! “paint it fool !” I did …………a friggen mess…………..and I burned it………..

At the time, money was not flowing, the economy was shit, and of course the kind of work that I am involved with is more of a luxurey than it is a necessity and of course, when people tighten up on the proverbial pocket book us artists are the first to go of course, I just didnt have the money for the deposit……….period. Something or someone must have whispered something into Donna’s ear because she says to me, ” I know that times are tough and for a few of us she was willing to let us make installments for this class…….everything happens for a reason…………….fate?………reason?……who knows………I was excited..

November couldnt have come fast enough lmao……..and at last the first day of class……….be careful what you wish for!

After a week with William, I finally understood why the first class was mandatory, it was creatively challenging and gruelling and very very full filling…… I was eating this up like a fat kid at a pie eating contest……….hook line and sinker…… lol because he teaches in such a unique way that seperates a “true trompe loeil” from a “faux trompe leiol”, yes folks there is a difference and I didnt get it until the last day of the class, roflmao……..I walked out of Donnas after the fifth day with new found energy and Inspiration . William not only teaches you how to paint but how to look at things not only artistically but philisophically. He teaches you how to look at light in a whole different way, be open with yourself and to get in touch with the artists mind and how it works and how to deal with the constant battle that goes on with the right side and left side of your brain.

I have been more than just creative with my painting and my art, and I think if you really look at this blog closely and see everything that has gone into it and have been following me closely you will see that being creative goes beyond the canvas…………………….way beyond………………..everything happens for a reason……………………………fate?……………………………who knows

Sign up For Our Newsletter

5 Responses to “Trompe Loeil Inspiration William Cochran, Community Bridge”