Michael Meadows, Prairieville
Member Since November 2007
Artist Statement I got my start in art, oddly enough, because of a Saturday morning kids TV show. During the early 1960's, I was an avid viewer of the TV show "Jon Gnagy's Learn To Draw". Jon was a goateed flannel shirt-wearing beatnik-type guy that would, in a 30 minute show, take you through the basics of producing a realistic chalk drawing. I was totally blown away! Who knew that everything was made up of four basic shapes (cube, cone, sphere and cylinder). I still rely on the principles I learned from that show. Sadly, Jon had a tragic life that ended in suicide. If you want to experience what lots of us baby boomers grew up with, you can find Jon Gnagy videos at YouTube.
My art career might have stayed just a hobby, but for a conversation I had with my dad when I was in high school. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life (being a lackluster student at best). About the only thing I was successful at was art. He suggested that I "go into advertising, you'll make lots of money". Well, that sounded pretty good to me. My only impression of advertising was of Darren from "Bewitched". Both my dad and I were profoundly wrong. Some folks can make vast amounts of money in advertising, but for the 99.99% remaining, it's a hard scrabble business. And it's nothing like "Bewitched" either. Getting a good idea across the goal line is a true exercise in pain. Practically everyone involved with decision making in advertising make those decisions on a strictly fear-based paradigm. It's kind of like showbiz. Mediocrity rules the day.
So, here I am after 30 plus years in the biz, and I've come full circle. I'm back to producing art for art's sake; to make myself happy, not to sell a product. But, I'm also still involved in the advertising industry. I have my own business (Michael Meadows Design) which makes it a bit easier to get good work produced (not so many filters). If you would like to see my advertising work, you can go to my website: snappy-art.com.
I hope you enjoy my paintings. I certainly enjoy making them.
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