We were lucky to catch up with Randall Graham recently and have shared our conversation below.

Randall, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?

I am incredibly grateful that I earn a full-time living as a painter. The gratitude I have is not simply saying I am grateful. I take my art and teaching very seriously and passionately give it my all. Being an artist was a dream of mine since I was a young boy drawing Star Wars characters on any scrap of paper I could find. Including the back of church bulletins during mass, which my mother was not too fond of.

My journey to being a full-time artists took the long road at times. I picked up oil paint in high school and really fell in love with it all. The colors, the mixing, the smells of the paint was glorious. I wanted to paint full time, but my family persuaded me to do graphic design in college. I did not have the same love for typeface and corporate logos as I did for fine art. I struggled with that.

After college I spent time being a full time gardener. That job was great for me. I was immersed in nature and really started to have a deeper understanding of the natural world. During this time I was painting some murals for small businesses on the side.

My very close friends bought a family entertainment and sports business and asked me to help manage it. The money was better than gardening and I was engaged, so I put in my two week notice to my gardening crew and I was off on a new adventure. I was still doing some mural on the side and I was painting a bit for myself. My wife and I had our first son and owned a house. Things were good, but I had this itch that I wanted to follow my dreams of being an artist. Being a father made me want to set a good example. Part of that was following my own dreams so that my son saw that as a possibility.

I could not just quit my job and follow my dreams. I had responsibilities. My side mural business really started picking up. I was getting contracts with hospitals and bigger walls. I was taking way too long to finish these jobs because I was never truly trained as a fine artist.

I started searching for a school or teacher that could help me and fit my schedule. I landed at Carlin Academy of Art and studied under the masterful Neilson Carlin for years. I took my time at Carlin Academy very seriously. I couldn’t afford to be lazy, timid or waste time since I was working a full time job and raising a family at the same time. I thrived in the academy. It gave me confidence in my art skills. I am forever grateful to Neilson for teaching me how to paint.

While I was in classes, often other students would ask me to explain things or translate what the teacher meant. This led me to realize that I had a natural knack for teaching painting.

I started teaching workshops at local art centers and showing my paintings in group shows. I even stated to win awards for my art. These small successes blessed me with the confidence that maybe I could become a full time artists.

The owners and management at my full time job at the family entertainment center were incredible and they let me cut my hours back so I could teach more art classes. I would not have been able to quit cold turkey and afford to feed my family.

I rented a very small studio and started my own art school with four students at a time. The studio was the second floor of a wonderful and successful gallery in Malvern Pennsylvania called Gallery 222. The owner, Andrea Strang, believed in my business and my art. So I started having annual solo shows with her gallery.

My classes continued to grow and I was going to have to find a bigger studio. So in 2023 I moved my art school to West Chester PA. Graham Painting Studio now has 65 full time students, weekend workshops, live model sessions, open studios and more. I pinch myself everyday. I can’t believe that I help students improve their art skills and help them follow their dreams. Plus I get to create my own paintings and continue to have my own exhibitions.

My success has led to me working with The Brandywine River Museum and teaching workshops at Andrew and NC Wyeth’s Studio’s. I am a huge nerdy fanboy of the Wyeth’s and many other artists of the past. I also have had my work shown in museums here in The States and Ireland. I have taken students to Ireland for painting workshops, curated exhibits and even illustrated a book.

At times I wish I had a quicker path to my dream, but I don’t think it would have been possible. I wouldn’t paint landscapes with the same passion if I didn’t spend so much time gardening. I wouldn’t have taking my time at Carlin Academy so seriously if I didn’t have a family and a desire to paint full time. I don’t know if I would have really followed my heart and dreams if I wasn’t a father wanting to show his children it was possible. My advice to others is simply don’t give up and TRUST THE PROCESS.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I find enjoyment in creating my own paintings and helping others. A giant part of my life is teaching at school Graham Painting Studio. I teach all kinds of creative people. Some have never picked up a paint brush. Others have gone to art school and feel like they need more instruction.

My biggest belief in teaching art is that one needs to understand the fundamental first, then start they will be able to express their unique voices. I have a curriculum of painting projects that echoes this belief. Students start painting in black and white for many months before I teach them color. This allows the students to focus on drawing skills and getting values correct. As much as people come to me to learn how to paint, often they learn to observe the world and light more accurately. Many time students come into class with a big grin and tell me they never noticed the true color of a sunset until after my classes. It is a very rewarding feeling for me. After some time with the basics, I teach student color mixing based on a very scientific color theory. The Munsell Color Theory. I realize some people think stereotypical flaky artists don’t jive with scientific theories, but the way I teach it really speeds up the color mixing leaning curve. More advanced students learn portraiture, landscape painting, floral painting and I mentor them in finding their own style.

My own work is very much influenced by nature and artists of the past. As much as just copying a master artists style is not all that exciting to me, I do love artists that can do it all. They can paint people, landscapes, seascapes, interiors and plein air. I am very influenced by nature. I love painting atmospheric landscapes and painting waves at the beach. One of my most popular motifs is painting raindrops on a car window. I try and paint these from my mini van as it rains and I let the raindrops abstract the scene I am painting. In recent years I have painted these to a larger scale. I paint the larger ones in the studio. These raindrop paintings are very tedious, so I only do a few a year. I do love the outcome most of the time.

Teaching and painting have become very synergetic for me. I love helping others and seeing my students have their own exhibitions and the joy they get out of painting. I can’t help to feel their energy and be reminded of all the challenges of being a painter. It is a lot of things to juggle. The flow of energy from students to me is the same flow that I get translating nature to canvas. I am so grateful that I get to live a creative life. I highly recommend everyone tries an art class. Painting, Sculpture, Pottery, Musical Instruments or Writing. I deeply believe art has the power to wake you up. It can wake you up as a viewer or a creator. At the very least creating some sort of art is a form of digital detox that most of us can use a healthy dose of.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Society needs more handmade art. Is AI cool at times…sure. But in general it is pretty blah. There are plenty of digital artists and illustrators that I think are masters. Their work feel fresh and alive because it was born from the spark of human imagination. The AI stuff has no soul.

So what can society do to support creatives. Buying art is first and foremost. No one likes the fake mass produced painting you bought at HomeGoods…sorry, they don’t. Purchase an original piece of art. It shows you have taste, personality and a soul. Have fun with it…match your couch if that makes you happy. You can even make your own painting to match your couch. Just please stay away from the mass produced art.

I understand that art is expensive. But so is your furniture, appliances, computers and clothes. All you have to do is put the same importance on the art in you house and smiles will follow every time you look at hose pieces of art.

If you can’t buy art. Go to exhibitions in person. Exhibitions have amazing opening receptions. Meet and mingle with creatives, view art, have drinks and snacks. All for free. Just participate. It is that easy, no obligations. Take pics of the show and post them on your social media and tell your friends about them. This goes for musical shows, poetry readings and chatting with buskers on the street.

Comment on our social media posts. Share the post if you wish. At least throw a ‘like’ our way. It really does make us happy just to have our work seen.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is hearing when my art inspires someone else. I love when someone tells me they tried painting a wave because they saw I painted a wave.

That is what it is all about. Our connections to each other. I love the connections in art. Teacher to student. Nature to canvas. Artist to artist. It makes me feel alive.

Contact Info:

• Website: RandallGraham.com https://www.randallgraham.com/
• Instagram: @RandallGraham https://www.instagram.com/randallgraham/?hl=en
• Facebook: RandallGraham https://www.facebook.com/randall.graham2
• Other: Classes and Workshops – https://www.randallgraham.com/studio-classes