Introduction
I began my painting career as a result of hardship and seeking a creative outlet.
I was seriously down on my luck. A terrible start to 2015, I had almost written my car off in a minor accident and had suddenly acquired a bunch of debt because of the damages. I was forced to move back to my parents house, had no car to travel to work so had to wake up at 4am everyday, run/skateboard/cycle to a friends house that could help me get to the City of Johannesburg everyday. I was going through a breakup, my band replaced me, my best friend moved to another country and I had to put down my first family dog as a nice cherry on top. It was a nightmare to say the least. As a young 26 year old my whole world had crumbled apart.
My job at the time was leading the artwork department for a label printing company and I had learned the complexity of flexographic Litho printing. That required me to fully understand plate production of the printing colours (CMYK). At the time I had started drawing again on a regular basis but without purpose, trying to figure out what to do with my life. I had grown a huge dislike for the city and craved nature, adventure and colour.
Then it dawned on me, to take my CMYK colour knowledge and apply it to painting. I had never really tried to paint before nor enjoyed it, but suddenly I had a calling. Every single colour has a CMYK value, and I would be able to replicate any colour combination with careful mixing. So got a big canvas and 3 basic primary colours (or as close as possible) Blue, Red and Yellow, White and Black.
And with that started my journey as a landscape artist!
Who is Charlie Blackstone?
I realized that in order to make it as a painter in 2015 it would require a careful balance of practice and marketing. I wanted to build a brand, a story to inspire friends and fans. But I did not know yet it if I was any good at painting. So I created an alias to go by and not my real name. So that I could be detached from criticism if my work was terrible. I have since learned that people are generally very nice and not showing your work in fear of rejection is false thinking, and overcoming it is part of the journey!
Charlie Blackstone - The Travelling Artist
My painting process
During the years I completed over 100 paintings. Every month I would stock up on canvases and paint and paint as regularly as possible. I would start with a pencil drawing to capture the composition and establish light and dark sources, from there I would move over to a quick rough sketch on canvas and then begin the first layer of oil paint. The oil would take a few days to dry, so I would sometimes work on another piece. I would generally add a few layers of paint until I felt the art piece was complete. I would aim for about 2 weeks and became an expert at shipping. I strayed away from perfection and focused on practice.
Exibits
I never wanted to hold onto paintings and often gave them away to friends and family. After about a year or 2, I secured a few spots at some local galleries to start exhibiting my work. I made lots of artist friends along the way, and we would exchange stories and talk shop. I would often bring my guitar with me and play music too.
Speed Painting
I often practiced speed painting, trying to complete an artpiece in one sitting (Often trying to beat the fleeting sun). Acrylic is the best for this because the paint would dry quickly making it easy to add layers of paint. I started a series of speed painting videos focusing on completing an artpiece within 30mins. I used my phone video camera and the quality was really bad. Its crazy how good our phone camera quality has developed in the last 5 years!
The Art Adventure Group (TAAG)
During the years of building brush milage, I would often host collaborations with friends and acquaintances. During these events I would encourage fellow artists to paint with me and try to finish the art piece in one sitting. It was always a great experience and it brought joy to many people.
Building a legacy
I wanted to build a brand and a legacy and part of that was certifying my work - In my own way. I wanted the buyer to feel proud to own one of my paintings, so I created this ‘certificate of authenticity' which I placed on my more serious oil paintings that were exhibited. I would always keep track of my painting progress using a simple excel l sheet, so I knew how many I had painted, how long it took, and who the owner was.
Although I do not paint regularly at the moment, I still have dreams of continuing this legacy as I build my career.
