The thing is about being an artist is that you have got to be passionate. There is something about the act of creating an artwork that makes people a little more eccentric than the typical bloke on the street. So that is what inspires me about Happy. He is an artist that is what he says he is: Happy. He is also passionate and he connects with his audience. So this post is a plug for him. I saw his latest project on
http://vimeo.com/15959677
He's a happy go lucky old codger, the 'last of the hippies' they call him. He gets around wearing a ti - dyed t-shirt and balloon pants. He is not afraid to take on mural projects of gigantic proportions and he seems to do it all fearlessly and with a relaxed swagger with a trusty paint brush. He may use some stenciling but very rarely, most of the time it seems to me, he takes on a wall as though it were a blank canvas in his studio. That is; he sketches on the image, blocks in the main colors, then tidies it up with a smaller artist brush.
The most outstanding feature about Happy is his generosity. Many of his recent projects have been donated to the community. I am particularly inspired by his 'lawn paintings' (here is an example: http://www.google.com.au/images?q=lawn+paintings+happy+the+artist&hl=en&safe=off&gbv=2&tbs=isch:1,simg:CAESEgl-Zg-TACndESHr8VCPb_1OXpQ&iact=h
Sorry about that link, there must be an easier way to find that image. I also find his comment: "Nobody but billboard artists are using the great outdoors for two - dimensional display. He continues by saying "decks, lawns, patios are vacant of real contemporary paintings - of barnyard animals, clowns, icons, - are like small billboards without words, and withstand the weather, are scaled for realism and make great conversation..."
He's 67 now and is still going strong. So if you are confused about the direction that Potofgoldpaintings is going in as a business and in terms of long term goals; well I can say it is something along the lines of what Happy is doing. But it is only early days yet.
Check him out www.happytheartist.com
