We recently connected with RaDean Mynatt and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, RaDean thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I am currently doing a series titled “True Women” that I consider to be the most meaningful work I’ve done. My first piece is a portrait of “Pretty Nose”. She was an Arapaho woman who participated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn as a young girl, went on to become a war chief and lived to be 101 years old. I recently completed a 48 x 60 Mixed Media canvas of Sacagawea titled “The Veil”. It is a piece involving several symbolic references to tell the more tragic story of her short life which has largely been misunderstood by the general public. Presently I’m working on the third painting in this series representing Annie Oakley and the admirable life she created for herself rising from poverty to affluence and her generous contributions as a philanthropist and a feminist. Few people are aware of this and have come to recognize only the glamorized Hollywood version of her as a member of the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. My next piece is going to be a saloon girl as I wish to represent women that worked in the sex industry of the old west because of the sacrifices that these women had to make in order to survive. Many were widows or women that had to fend for themselves and had very few choices during this era to do anything else. They also contributed to the success of the small towns they were working in by bringing in revenue that was locally invested. I intend to represent women of all ethnicities, past and present, with a variety of accomplishments and stories and have a long list in mind that should keep me occupied for an indefinite amount of time.

I’ve become very passionate about the exploitation of women as merely sexual objects while the many contributions, sacrifices, inventions, successes and so much more throughout history have largely been unequally recognized compared to men. Though times have improved for women to a degree, we still have a long way to go and I believe that we need to do our part using whatever media is available to bring these brave historical and present day women to the forefront and expose their true accomplishments.

RaDean, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been involved in the arts in various forms throughout my life including drama, writing and music, but visual arts with my innate ability to draw and create as well as an unrelenting desire to learn has been the most predominant. I started displaying a curiosity for drawing as a toddler and never slowed down. I was always recognized for this ability by family and friends which included requests for me to draw something for them or just show off my skills on an etch a sketch. Many of my early drawings were made up versions of fashion models or cartoon figures that were done on the backs of bowling alley score sheets. My parents managed a bowling alley so this is where I spent the majority of my time before starting elementary school. I would sit for hours and contentedly draw while they worked, which happily for them, made me a really good babysitter to myself. I guess you could say that being an artist became an identity that started early and will probably follow me to the grave.

As I matured I continued to navigate many different mediums including painting and sculpting. Some years, as life dictated, I was more prolific than others but art was always present in some form or another. Experimenting with a variety of art forms ranging from stained glass, sculpting, pottery, jewelry making, photography, custom painted furniture, painting, mural and decorative art has made me very diverse. I enrolled in classes at the Rocky Mountain School of Art and Design where I studied figure drawing, anatomy, photography, perspective and color theory, all intended to enhance my natural abilities. I have also nurtured my interests by taking workshops through the years by many notable artists as well as taking on work in businesses that could help expand my knowledge and skills.

Eventually, I started doing commissions and discovered a whole new set of skills that involves visualizing what my clients want should they have a difficult time conveying it. Because I worked as a muralist for so many years, I had to solve problems that ranged from subject to colors to space issues and more. I always tell my clients that since they trust my work enough to request a commissioned piece, it’s important that they trust my instincts to fulfill their vision. I also check my ego at the door and make sure they know that they won’t be paying for anything less than what they’re hoping for and then I strive to go beyond their expectations. I believe it’s important to work openly with people and make sure they’re getting a piece of art that they can fully enjoy and not regret their decision to hire me.

I’m not afraid to experiment and enjoy adding unconventional mediums to my artwork. I’ve always been drawn to bas relief and implementing dimension and organic substances along with conventional materials and have found that the addition of texture is fascinating to the viewers. It makes me happy when people ask if it’s okay to touch my art because I know that I’ve created something that has sparked their interest and evoked an emotion. My biggest challenge has been to pull back the reins on my impulses to want to try every style and medium that intrigues me. I’ve always had the greatest respect for artists that master their craft so that is now my main focus.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I was in high school I received a Scholastic Art Award for one of my paintings which led to a full scholarship to go to Kansas City Art Institute. Just two months before my high school graduation, I discovered I was pregnant and after informing the school counselor of my predicament, the scholarship was revoked. To make matters worse, I wasn’t even allowed to go through the graduation ceremony with my classmates because it was considered so shameful. This was in 1970 and thankfully this kind of bias wouldn’t be tolerated today, but it helped me to recognize that the perception of women and their specific challenges inherent to their sexuality needed to be changed.

As a single mother with a lack of instruction or mentorship, I took it upon myself to create opportunities to supplement my income with my abilities and acquired skills by tackling projects that I fortunately had the confidence to take on with no previous experience. Immediately out of high school, I worked as a tattoo artist for two years at a shop in one of the worst parts of Denver, wearing a gun and holster concealed under my vest, a guard dog by my side and the security of a few concerned police officers occasionally taking it upon themselves to pop in and make sure I was okay. At a time when tattoo art was predominantly being applied by and on men, I was hired to design, apply and promote tattoos for women which was just beginning to pick up in popularity and most likely made me the first female tattoo artist in Colorado. The extra income and ability to work nights and weekends helped to sustain me while I was doing an apprenticeship with an established dental laboratory training in the art of constructing aesthetic crowns and bridges out of cast metal and porcelain. I also took several classes to expand my knowledge in this industry, eventually testing for and earning my certification. The dental lab was an occupational choice that allowed me to provide for my family while still applying my artistic skill and it served me well financially for many years.

I’ve always sought out opportunities to learn, including working for $5.00 an hour as an apprentice at a local foundry. I learned to wax chase and apply patina to bronze sculptures under the direction of several accomplished sculptors with the perk of creating and casting my own figures. I also started several businesses which included painting murals and faux finishes in countless homes and businesses, creating and marketing my own line of humorous greeting cards, selling hand painted furniture out of my garage and doing commissioned stained glass and art pieces, all while owning and operating my own dental lab.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I’m often asked why I didn’t make a living exclusively with my art. I chose to pursue a career as a dental technician as it made the most sense in terms of the security I needed. It allowed me to be able to pursue various forms of art recreationally while also becoming well diversified. Being able to create what I want and not have the restrictions that come with doing art commercially has always been important to me and it has kept me engaged for the long run. With a long history of diversity and experimentation behind me, I feel I’m well prepared for the art career ahead of me with no financial pressure so I can create as I please and fully immerse myself in it.

It can be challenging to present a piece that evokes the same emotion that has been devoted to creating it. My prerogative to create visually satisfying art over statement pieces has evolved into a respect for both and that is why I’ve committed my work to showcasing the figures of inspirational women. This is my way of bringing awareness to a social issue that I care about while also creating a beautiful piece of art. I don’t think that art can be fully appreciated unless the viewer feels some type of connection. A great amount of time, energy and knowledge is also needed to manage the business side of getting one’s art recognized and sold and it’s vital to the success of an art career to continue to learn if you want to move forward.

Most importantly, I don’t think it’s fully understood how much effort it takes to be creative and that it doesn’t always pop up naturally. People sometimes playfully comment that it must be nice to have nothing to do but paint all day, as if I’m a child with a coloring book. While I fully appreciate that I was blessed with a talent, I also worked hard to develop it and continue to do so. It’s doubtful that I’ll ever reach a point where I’m fully satisfied and because of that, I find myself more exhausted at the end of a day of painting than any other type of work that I’ve done. It requires a lot of thinking and an active imagination to continue bringing original pieces to the forefront so I’m always researching ways of setting my artwork apart and staying inspired. Working with a large format and using a combination of textural elements is just one of the ways I’ve incorporated a medium that can be considered one of my trademarks, something I feel is another important means to success.

To reiterate, if there is one thing I’d like to enlighten people on, it’s the hard work and thought that goes into being a creative and how exhausting it can be. Sure, it’s therapeutic to smear paint on a canvas, but there’s a whole other side that isn’t seen beyond the finished piece of art. I think of it much like an actor who is recognized for a performance well done but nobody really thinks about the hours spent researching the character, practicing the dialect and mannerisms and memorizing lines. That’s all behind the scenes.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: [email protected]
• Facebook: [email protected]
• Linkedin: [email protected]
• Twitter: [email protected]

Image Credits

Victoria Endsley- Bear & Bee|Makers’ Studio & Boutique
Justin Hess- Just Photographin’