ABOUT  THE ARTIST:

Fred Baughman
I developed a strong interest in visual arts in high school when I learned that wonderful images could be created with a piece of charcoal and the use of highlights, reflections and shadows.  However, other interests soon dominated my life in college and the majority of my professional career. 

Yet, I never totally lost my deep-seated interest in art.  As a result, in my 50’s, I again began to pursue my passion of accurately and objectively recording visual reality in terms of the creative effects of light and color.  I am not a realist painter, nor am I an impressionist, I would say that I am some place in the middle of those schools.

 Artist’s Aim:

I have always loved being outdoors and experiencing the various elements of nature.  My artwork aims to interpret the outdoor wilderness environment, and to show its complex totality including soft sea breezes to savage winter storms…a meadow of delicate and colorful wildflowers to tangled woodland brush…lovely singing songbirds to disease inflicting insects. I tend to focus on a dramatic aspect of a landscape, such as sky, light or texture, existing at any one moment in time. 

Influences:

I, like millions of others around the world, discovered much while watching Bob Ross and “The Joy of Painting” on public television. Realistic landscapes were quickly created on canvas using oil paints.  However, I continue to strive to grow and expend as an artist.  Consequently, I frequently take art classes and workshops from various instructors to learn new methods. Other artists, such as Terry Isaac, Martin Ridley, and Terry Redlin, have influenced me through their observation of various wildlife and outdoor scenes; and their technical mastery to communicate that vision.

 Techniques:

I have always had an interest in learning and using a wide variety of mediums.  However, I enjoy the creativity that I have found using the alla prima oil painting technique; and the ability to capture a particular moment in time. 

Methods:

I often times will begin work on a project outdoors, using pencil sketches and photography, to establish the primary elements of my paintings such as values, color, and compositional structure.  The final stage in the creative process of my paintings is most often accomplished in the controlled environment of the studio.  Recently, I have enjoyed the en plein air painting experience, and continue to experiment with that method. 

See samples of his work.