Author: briantimmer

I can’t believe my last blog post was November 2018! Crazy. I guess that’s what happens to blogs sometimes…

We have now lived in Cody, WY for exactly a year. In fact, I opened my studio on June 7th 2018. A lot has happened in the studio since I opened the doors in Wyoming. I now have lights, display tables and proper signage. Betsy Timmer was instrumental helping me find a good layout for everything.

The season kicks off in Cody when Yellow Stone opens in May. The town is buzzing with people and cars. It gets even busier on and after the 4th of July. I have never seen a 4th parade quite like Cody’s. Last year, it was nearly TWO HOURS long!

It’s been great living so close to Yellow Stone National Park. Last weekend, we drove out to Mammoth Hot Springs. It was amazing to see all the wild life. We saw bears, buffalo, elk, deer, a wolf and lots of other amazing things. Here are some photos.

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There is endless inspiration around here to paint. The textures of the land are a challenge. I just keep experimenting with different techniques to learn what works best for oil and acrylic paints.

This spring, I had the opportunity to paint a 4×12 foot painting for the new Cody Steak House. The view is looking towards Yellow Stone off the North Fork Highway at sunset. You can find prints of this painting on my website.

It’s always great working on a large canvas! My next commission is actually two 5×8 foot canvases. We’ll see how those come together. I will keep you posted!

Thanks for reading! And don’t forget, if you even have a commissioned painting need send me a note. I’d love to hear what you are looking for. -Brian

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking a day trip with my good friend, Aaron Paden.   Aaron is a gifted photographer from Lawrence, Kansas.  He came out to Cody to help me set up a lighting system to photograph work.

 

We decided to take a drive on the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.  The weather was a bit “moody.”  The clouds were moving quickly — around every corner was another surprise.

 

I didn’t mean to get so many photos of Aaron.  There is something about adding a person to nature photograph–it can make the scale more clear.

It is so awesome living close to so many astoundingly beautiful things.  Every day, indeed every hour, the colors are changing.   There’s always a new adventure waiting to be had.

I’m looking forward to seeing how this land informs my art.  The textures are entirely different to paint–much more challenging!  It requires more patience and skill to successfully capture the scenes.

I’m happy to with the outcome of this painting of the Lamar Valley.

There were points where I almost felt “out-of-my-league” while I was painting this.  Fortunately, the painting came together and SOLD already!  Aaron took great photos of this piece, you can now purchase prints of it on my website too!  🙂

Thanks for checking out the photos!  I hope to see you soon again!

I can’t believe that my last blog post was created in April!   This spring and summer was a whirlwind to say the least.  A lot has changed.

Last winter, I went out to Cody, WY to check out the city and see if there was a suitable place to relocate my gallery/studio.  (Betsy and I had been talking about moving there for a couple of years to try and get our boys closer to family.)  The long-story-short is that I came back to Lawrence with a incredible studio opportunity and even large scale art commissions waiting in Cody.

Betsy and I decided to put our house on the market in April.  It ended up selling in less than five hours!  We were in the moving truck at the end of May.  Things couldn’t have lined things up more perfectly!  In fact, things came together so quickly, we hardly even had time to say good-bye to our dear friends.  We lived in Lawrence for thirteen good years–it wasn’t easy to leave.

Fortunately, the summer in Cody was pretty awesome.  The weather was sunny and the temperature was much lower than Kansas.  The mountains, wildlife and many friendly people welcomed us.  We found a great house with a acre of land, just a mile from the studio downtown.  The garage even has a dedicated art studio for Betsy.

As I currently write this, I am actually visiting Lawrence again.  A special storm painting commission for Nazarene Theological Seminary has brought me back.  During the NTS “Preaching Hope in Troubled Times” 2018 preaching conference, I  painted this 40X60 inch storm painting.

I’m glad the painting came together as well as I hoped it would.  People really seemed to enjoy watching the progress and final outcome. For one year, I am going to give half of all the proceeds from print sales of this painting back to NTS.   You can order limited edition paper prints of this painting here.

It’s been a really great trip back to Lawrence.    One thing that made this trip exciting is that my friend and award winning director, Marc Havener, with Resonate Pictures, finished a one-minute film documenting my 30 foot-long painting I created for the Lawrence Beer Company called, “Ocean Over Kansas.”  Check it out!

 

Marc did such a fantastic job with this.  I’m happy that it has been viewed several thousands of times on Facebook.   The more views the better!  I’d like him to get the credit he deserves.

In my next post, I will share news on the murals I have been working on in Cody.  I promise, I won’t wait six months to post again! 🙂

 

 

 

Three years ago, I decided to buy a drone.  My hope was that it would inspire my landscape work and enhance my art overall.   I could only imagine how fun it would be to fly around like a bird and see unique views of the world.   I’m happy to say I was not disappointed with this decision.

Drone technology has done exactly for me as I hoped it would.  I now fly a Phantom 4 Pro and enjoy every minute of being in the sky.    The drone is incredibly stable, easy to fly and takes great photos and video of the world.  To date, I have created eleven drone paintings.

This past fall, I took photos of Lawrence, KS.  It’s always nice to look for good shots of the University of Kansas and the city in general.  Just a few weeks ago, I wrapped up a painting entitled, “Downtown Lawrence,” commissioned by  Professional Engineering Consultants.  This acrylic painting measures 42X84 inches.   I’m thrilled with the way this painting has transformed the entry area of their office.

As a painter, I’m always looking for new painting techniques.  When I look over my work, I would say that I have three to four different styles I use.  For instance, when I want to render architecture, I stick to acrylic paint.  The  Lawrence painting above is an example.  This fast drying paint allows me to create quickly and leave room for abstraction and texture.  Conversely, when I want to create soft highly-rendered skies, I stick to using oil paint and linseed oil.  Below is a painting I just wrapped up a couple of weeks ago.  This storm scene of the Flint Hills is based on a  wonderful photo by Jason Soden.

Many people who follow my art are probably less familiar with my abstract work.  This is my most personal mode of creating.  In these abstract expressionistic paintings, I use a variety of paints.  First, I use acrylic paint to lay the base color.   Second, I apply even more acrylic paint and usually oil stick.  This allows me to draw like a crayon and make rough and messy marks.  Third and last, I use oil paint if I think the painting needs additional shading and textures.  Applying paint this way helps me stay loose and energetic.

In the future, I hope to continue to push the materials I use.  I want there to be life and freshness in all of my work.  Whether drone-inspired landscapes, classic Kansas storm scenes or abstract work, every painting should have a sense of movement and energy to it.   Every painting should evoke emotion and bring satisfaction to the viewer.

If you would like to follow my stages as I create, you can find me on Twitter, Instagram,  or Facebook!

Last month, I was honored to be asked to facilitate a live painting session for Professional Engineering Consultants in Lawrence, KS.  The company was celebrating a new facility by hosting a nice open-house party for many of their clients. They were hoping a little paint and color might add a nice to touch to the event.

For this painting, I chose to draw inspiration from a photo I had been eyeing for some time.  Dave Leiker,  a talented photographer out of Emporia, Kansas, has taken many wonderful shots of the Flint Hills.  This particular photo of his was a classic sunset image.

I was eager to paint the warm soft clouds and the familiar layers of hilly countryside in this photo.  It’s the kind of scene where you wish you could just be there and bask in the glow of the land.  I chose to stream this event LIVE on Facebook.  (By the way, my Facebook page is here if you are interested.)

 

Since I enjoy painting on large canvases, I chose to use a 48X72″ canvas.  This size canvas would not only be easy to see from a distance during the open-house, I also felt fairly confident that if I had an image that I was excited about, I would be able to get a solid “first-stage” on the canvas within a couple of hours.  By the end of the night, I was happy I had accomplished my goal.     

Many people actually thought the painting was finished after the first session that night.  While I never usually finish a painting in one session, I will admit that the first stage of any painting does have something special about it–the looseness of the brushwork holds a certain energy and life that is unique in the process.

After a few more stages, this is the final result.    

I was happy to have this live painting opportunity.  If fact, it was such an enjoyable experience, I’m now considering doing live painting sessions more often.  If you ever hear of a place that needs such a thing, please let me know.  I’m happy to answer any questions you have.

This painting is still available for purchase. You can see it in Timmer Gallery at 825 Massachusetts St. Lawrence, KS.   Soon, I hope to offer prints of it on my website at www.BrianTimmerArt.com

It’s hard to believe that today is officially the start of fall.   The sunflowers are in full bloom and the climate is hot and muggy in Lawrence, Kansas.

Just this past week, I wrapped up a new commission.  I had a request for a sunflower painting.  As I was searching for image inspiration, I came across a magnificent photo in a little book called, “The Kansas Sky.”  The photograper’s name is Harland Schuster.   Harland was nice enough to allow me to use his image for inspiration.

I now have limited edition signed prints in several sizes of this sunflower painting available on my website.

Last year, I was very inspired when I visited Grinter’s Sunflower Farm.  The sun was just coming up as I had a chance to fly my drone over the field.  When I uploaded my video to Facebook, I was surprised that in just a few days, my video was shared over two thousand times and had 300,000+ views!  The glow of the flowers was mesmerizing.   ENJOY!!

And enjoy the sunflowers while they are still around!  It won’t  be long and new colors and temperatures will cover the land.

 

I’m happy to report that the painting for the Lawrence Beer Company was completed today!  This painting has been a joy to work on, on multiple levels.

First, has been great to work the owners of the Lawrence Beer Company. These guys have a passion for beer, food, art and culture.   The building that they are working on is full of character and has so much potential for a brewery.  I can’t wait to see the finished space.

Second, doing research for this project has been very inspiring.  I’ve come to befriend two storm chasers, Jeremy Holmes and Sean Ramsey.  These photographers each have INCREDIBLE portfolios.   Their work is a reminder that Kansas is filled with incredible beauty– sometimes you just have to hit the road to go find it!

Third, I love painting on large surfaces.  The bigger the canvas, the more exciting the painting!  In some mysterious way, I think more of the energy of the painting is captured when I can move around.  I also enjoy using large brushes and lots of paint. Sometimes small paintings can me feel a bit tight as a painter.

The next step is getting this painting photographed.  I’m hoping to offer this in a variety of different print sizes after it is edited.   Please visit my website to see more of my commissioned work and available art!  Keep me posted if you have any questions about murals or ways to commission more of my art.

 

What the next project?

An 8X30 foot painting.

I’m excited to announce the start of a new commission with the Lawrence Beer Company.  This new brewery is located next to the Cider Gallery on Pennsylvania St. in east Lawrence.

I will create this large painting by connecting five 8X6 foot canvases.

How you can see it:

• Visit me at Timmer Gallery – 825 Mass. St Lawrence, KS. | 3-7 Thurs., 12-7 Fri. & 10-6pm on Sat.
• Filmmaker, Marc Havener, will be creating a time-lapse video I plan on showing at the end.
• Follow progress on Facebook, Instagram @Brian.Timmer.Art or on my new blog.