Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dan Knepper. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
After 25 years teaching Art, I quit to become a full-time artist. They tore down the school I’d been in and asked me to do an 8’x32′ mural in the new school building. The income from the mural helped get me started. Dayton Children’s Hospital then asked me to do large, (usually 36×36,) light-hearted images for the hospital. (They continued to ask and now have over 60.) I had an international win pretty quickly and used it to I was to get into a gallery quickly and rolled that into 2 more. My first piece in the C.M. Russell Live Auction sold to John Coors and I think being in his collection helped open doors. I continue to expand the shows and auctions selling my work.
I’m not sure I could speed the process, other than noticing gimmicks help. There are artists whose work is instantly recognizable for it’s style, subject matter or use of color, and I think that helps them.
Dan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started with painting light.. which sounds cliche.. but I was painting the way it fell on a model or the glow of sunsets/sunrises, the illumination of foliage or fur, or the sparkle on water. I think that creates mood and an immediate reaction from the viewer. But I was a little ‘all over the map,’ with my subject matter. One of the galleries I was in, near Glacier told me they thought I’d do better with local scenes so I visited the mountains and realized that’s what I wanted to paint: the last wild places and the wildlife that inhabits them. I still do some cowboy life subject matter and take commissions, but the wild places and wildlife art are my favorites. I want the viewer to be transported; to step into my paintings and smell the pine and sage, taste the dust and hear the rushing water. I want them to want to return to that moment in that spot again and again.
While the current mantra is ‘simplify’ for most artists, I like detail. I enjoy painting it. There are rocks in my paintings that you could identify standing in the same spot…. “Hey! I saw that rock in a painting!”
I try to create paintings that will stand the test of time. They have to have that little something extra so that 100 years from now they are still valued.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
First, share art that you like. Post it on instagram and Facebook and Linked in and whatever. Mail it snail mail. Talk to galleries and museums and business owners about it. That’s invaluable to the artist and costs nothing to do. Then, collect art. It doesn’t take much to get started. You can find someone selling art for very little and once you get started, you’ll realize you’re looking at it more, and you’ll enjoy collecting it more. No matter your age.. it’s a great date. Go look at art. Share it. Buy it if you can.
2nd: Realize art costs the artist way more than the price of the canvas and paint. For instance, I just sent a $6000 painting to a gallery. They’ll probably give a 10% discount when they sell it. We’re already down to 5400. I’ll get half that: 2700. The frame cost me at least 600 and shipping was $100 (shipping is often 3-400.) So now I”ve got $2000… and I just bought an ad in a magazine for $2000. We haven’t even talked about the time I’ve got in it. IF the painting sells, I’ll break even… and it often takes months and sometimes years for the right buyer to come along.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I have the same story over and over. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told my closest artist friends that I”m ready to give up, only to have something great pull me back in. For example: I’d created what I thought was a great painting only to have the gallery tell me they ‘just weren’t feeling it.” The most recent example of that is a painting that went on to win 5 international competitions. And that’s the take-away: that even though you feel like giving up, something great is right around the corner. Hang in there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://DanKnepperArt.com
- Instagram: @DanKnepperArt
- Facebook: Dan Knepper Artist
- Linkedin: Dan Knepper Art
Image Credits
Dan Knepper