Meet Robert Spooner | Artist/ oil painter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Robert Spooner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Robert, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born in Roswell, NM, and spent my childhood there. Raised by a single mother, I witnessed her dedication as she worked three jobs to ensure that her three kids had a warm bed and food to eat—although that wasn’t always the case.

My early education was somewhat disrupted, attending eight different elementary schools, including three in a single year (see my shoutout below). After completing high school in Bossier City, LA, I went on to attend Louisiana Tech University upon graduation. In 1978, I launched a career in graphic design. In 1989, I ventured to Helsinki, Finland, where I resided for four years, earning an MBA from the Helsinki School of Economics.

It wasn’t until 1998 that my interest in oil painting developed. It was then that I left the structured advertising world where I worked as a designer and illustrator. Motivated to explore this expressive path further, I enrolled in painting classes at the Denver Art Students League, marking the beginning of my uphill pursuit.

The first two decades of my art career involved representation by galleries across the US. However, in 2015, several galleries representing my work closed or merged, leading me to withdraw from all of them. Today, you’ll find me immersed in my studio about six days a week. My mornings are dedicated to responding to emails and other tasks before heading to my studio near downtown Denver. I typically work on one painting at a time, with each piece taking weeks to complete— the most common question I receive from visitors is, “How long did it take to paint this?”

Regarding my process, I initiate each painting with an image displayed on my computer screen, allowing me to focus on details and decide what is essential to include in the work. Regardless of the subject or size, the piece seldom ends up as I initially conceived it. “Each painting has its own visual solution,” with colors, harmonies, and textures continuously evolving. At times, the results aren’t worth keeping, leading me to paint over the work.

The most significant change since I began painting is the advent of the internet. In the early days, one had to physically attend an art opening to view and purchase artwork. Nowadays, anyone with online access, a Facebook, and YouTube account can consider themselves an artist. However, this convenience comes with challenges. The abundance of online art can overwhelm collectors, who may struggle to discern the value of the work. Left to their own devices, choices are often based on factors like size, color, and price, perhaps influenced by the question of whether it complements their furniture.

In contrast, a visit to a traditional gallery usually involves interaction with knowledgeable staff who can provide insights into the art and its creator. Prices in galleries often reflect a historical evolution, with artists having a proven track record of comparative sales. In the online art world, prices are sometimes arbitrarily set, leaving buyers to determine the perceived worth of a piece on their own. This shift brings about both opportunities and challenges in the art market.

I suggest that you take the time to appreciate art and engage with those who create it. Attend gallery openings or visit artists in their studios. The time invested is well worth it, leaving you more excited and enriched by the experience. As artists, we are out here, passionately creating, hoping that someone will appreciate and acquire our work. Choosing a different path, artists often have sporadic income, dependent on someone finding our creations inspiring enough to want to be a part of it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
“Obsessive curiosity” it is and has to be the driving force behind any creator. That concept best describes what fuels my work forward. Art cannot create itself, it needs a person with drive and self-motivation. An individual where it’s more important to create, than to depend on it for income (selling your work should be a byproduct of the process, not your reason for doing it).

At 67 years of age time is in limited supply so the final results of every painting I pursue has to be the best visual product that I can produce. All of our skills are limited by education skills and effort so I try to make every painting count.

My love of history has a great deal to do with the subjects I have painted over the last five years. I have spent some time studying our family history along with the history here in the USA. Several of my works include personalities such as Ben Franklin, Abe Lincoln and Charles Dickens. I have painted numerous pieces on what I call my “cotton field series” These depict America’s darker past (see my video “Forever Fields” on my YouTube channel). Several years ago I started what I call my “heartland” series. Starting with historical images of farmers, ranchers, and other western characters, these larger pieces have been really a joy to create.

As a painter I prefer oils and my method of painting has evolved from traditional oil painting techniques to now a more complex or layering of shapes and color. My paintings are produced on fiberboard and may take weeks to complete. From beginning to end, each painting consists of sanding and scraping and may have as many as 20 layers of oil paint, plasters and waxes.

Two people, one living, one not so much. Early in my painting career I closely followed the works of Quang Ho. He was a local artist here in Denver and was much involved in the local art community. The other artist is Nicolai Fechin (1811-1955), a russian artist who spent a number of years working out of Taos, New Mexico. It was this artist whose work inspired me to develop the multi-layered works I do to this day.

I work about 6 days a week trying to execute the best product I can given my limited accumulation of skills. Always seeking to improve, always finding the”best visual solution for each piece”’ It is most important that I explain here, my current influences are NONE. By that I mean that the visual path I’ve developed has come from my accumulated knowledge and now that path before me is my own.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The foothills around Denver offer a fantastic starting point. Chatfield Reservoir is an excellent spot for paddleboarding, as is Waterton Canyon, where visitors can get up close to mountain sheep right along the trail. In Colorado, the options are diverse – from skiing and mountain biking to paddleboarding. For a day excursion, consider Morrison or Golden. Further up the hill, explore Grand Lake or Georgetown.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My studio is situated in a building where approximately 50 other artists work and share their crafts at Prism Work Spaces. In this vibrant community, I’d like to give a shoutout to two inspiring women entrepreneurs: Elaina Keegan of ConcretePoppy and Elysia Myers of Wine Art.

What stands out to me about both of these independent creators is their dedicated work ethics and determination to succeed. Elaina Keegan, of CroncrerePoppydesign.com, specializes in creative candles. She has developed her own line of scents, diversified product offerings, and established a robust distribution network. Her weekends are spent at numerous local markets, passionately selling her products and spreading the word about her business.

Elysia Myers, whose business is Wine Art (Elysiamyerswineart.com), does everything from creating cards to holding classes where interested people can learn to create and print out versions of their art for friends and family.

Website: https://www.spoonerfineart.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spoonerfineart/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rlspooner

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh9aeXjvZBrv5AYwimepb1w

Other: Please let me know how I cam help you futher with this and thanks..

Image Credits
Just me…