Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Timothy Callaghan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Timothy, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

As a visual artist and an educator I have been engaged with the life long process of learning the craft of painting. I have been drawing and painting since I was a child and learn something new each time I begin a new body of work. I also learn new strategies and techniques when working with student that inform my process. Learning any new craft or process requires dedication and patience and a willingness to accept failure as a necessary part of the process. Time is our biggest obstacle, but impatience can also hinder breakthroughs, creatives must trust the process and allow for the unintended result or “accident” to be an opportunity for growth.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Timothy Callaghan is an artist living in Cleveland Ohio. He is the recipient of a 2015 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award. His paintings are in numerous private and public collections throughout the state. He received his BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and an MFA from Kent State University in 2005. Callaghan has abandoned some of the more stereotypical elements of Midwest Regionalism such as realism and a somber color palette and replaced them with gestural vibrant brush strokes evocative of Matisse cut-outs and saturated Southern California colors. Thus we, the viewers, are asked to see our surroundings with the eye of a traveler and sense value, rediscovery and wonder. Callaghan paints places he knows—everyday places with an attention to detail and beauty that lifts them from the ordinary and endows them with a sense of dignity. With a fresh approach to regionalism, Callaghan’s work is in a way somewhat reminiscent of the snapshot-like works of Ed Ruscha, Twentysix Gasoline Stations; yet while Ruscha’s work has a sense of cool detachment, Callaghan’s work is quite the opposite, imbued with a deep affection that only can come from an intimate understanding of his surroundings. Callaghan has had numerous solo exhibitions at William Busta Gallery in Cleveland and has exhibited in group shows in New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Elmhurst Illinois. Additionally, Callaghan authored One Painting a Day, a Quarry Books publication in 2013. Since 2014 Callaghan has taught painting and drawing at Lake Ridge Academy where he is the Director of the School of Fine Arts.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I first got out of graduate school my first priority was to make a whole new body of work to show to potential galleries. I worked in the service industry for an entire year so that I could paint all day and work nights. Time to do what you love in the beginning of your career is integral to success. To a visual artist time is more important than money and making the appropriate sacrifices to maximize your time in the studio takes resilience.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

As an educator I have often encountered how society has devalued art education as a key component to a well balanced education. Making art education a priority in schools is probably the most important thing society can do to support a thriving creative ecosystem.

Contact Info:

• Website: timothycallaghan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timothycallaghan/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timothy.callaghan/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-callaghan-0ab0238/
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/one-painting-observational-painting-creating-extraordinary/dp/1592538304

Image Credits
Timothy Callaghan, gouache paintings on paper 20″x20″ 2022