Hotel Interior (oil, 8x10)

lay-in, he gradually works with thicker paint, contrasting rough brushwork against soft edges and a layered surface against a bare canvas. Graying most of his colors in order to achieve tonal harmony, he often counterpoises one or two select areas of intense color with more neutral hues for a dramatic effect, as in his Reclining Figure in Kimono (on page 30), which deftly contrasts the vivid red of the kimono against the subtle skin tones and a muted background.

With the addition of some thick paint in the foreground whitewater, I completed Spring Waterfall (oil, 30x40).

A savvy marketer who proactively promotes his craft, Lipking conducts workshops, offers videos of works in progress and maintains a website, blog, e-newsletter—even a MySpace account. While he recognizes the importance of continuing to make good paintings and striving to make each better than the last, he offers this pointer, especially to artists just starting their careers: “We artists don’t usually consider the business end. It’s the side of our profession that most of us hate, but it’s important. If you plan on making a living as an artist, you need to find ways to promote your work. This usually means doing some shameless self-promotion. For some reason a lot of artists cringe when they hear those words, but artists are not ‘discovered.’ People won’t know who you are if you don’t tell them. The easiest way to start is to get a website and begin building a mailing list. Let the people on your list know where you’re showing your work and what you’ve been up to. You should also be entering competitions and submitting to shows.”

Sage advice from an artist who, in the short span of 12 years, due in no small measure to his own marketing acumen, hard work and, yes, brilliant paintings, has emerged as one of America’s leading realist painters.

November 2008 ■ www.artistsmagazine.com