Rebel Boy by Garret D. McFann
As I was dusting the frame of my husband’s college diploma, I was reminded that I married my very own “Mad Man.” Influenced by his father’s cousin, whom he and his brothers call “Uncle Don” (as in the famous western artist Don Crowley), my husband earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration and Communication Design from Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design.
Uncle Don is now known for his beautiful photo-realistic paintings of a Native American family. But before he moved to Tucson in the early 1970′s, he was a highly successful illustrator in New York working out of the Charles E. Cooper Studio. He did illustrations for many clients but the ones my husband first told me about were the ones he did for Reader’s Digest. In an interview that I read, Uncle Don said that television changed everything and so he turned his sights toward fine art and he and the family moved to Arizona. I’ve only had the pleasure of meeting him once but he and his wife, B.J., were the height of elegance living out in the desert. I remember thinking that I wanted to be like B.J. who never lost her artist model good looks nor let go of her glamorous demeanor despite the ruggedness of the terrain. (As an aside, we were visiting Uncle Don’s parents once and his mother showed us her prized possession: a collage she made from the illustrations Uncle Don had done for Jello boxes…My husband still chuckles that Uncle Don has created magnificent artwork, and his mother loved the Jello illustrations the most).
When my husband was learning how to create illustrations, the process was time consuming and could be tedious. It was all very old school. And that is a key. Apple’s Mac computer was introduced in January, 1984. He graduated from art school in May, 1984.
As you can imagine, The Mac revolutionized illustration. He is amazed at what I–with no art school training whatsoever– can do on my MacBook Pro in minutes. My husband is still very old school and hasn’t totally embraced computer technology.
The Mohawk by Garret D. McFann
With his vision of becoming the next great book illustrator dashed by a computer, he went back to school to get his master’s degree in sculpting and left behind the world of illustration in 1985.
In hindsight, I think he made the right choice since the illustration field is a mere shadow of what it used to be in its heydey. In addition to selling his work in galleries and exhibitions, he teaches part-time at the local community college, and he works as a free-lance sculptor for other artists or the movie industry.
You can see more of my husband’s artwork at McFannArtwork.com (scroll down to see links or click on one of the images in the middle).
Your “mad man” is a wonderful artist – I really love the Rebel boy.
Molly
Thanks, Molly! When we lived in New Jersey–where he worked/taught at The Johnson Atelier (now mostly defunct but The Grounds for Sculpture is still there), his primary subject matter was the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Since moving back to Los Angeles, he has returned to his western themed artwork roots.
I must say that it was much easier being part of the art scene–attending artists’ receptions and museum events– when we lived on the East Coast and he was part of such an important atelier than it is here in Los Angeles. The recession doesn’t help things. Two of the galleries that represented him here have gone under in the past year.
I don’t blame Your Mister for not embracing computer technology. Computer art just isn’t the same thing as the result of genuine artistic talent. My dad was a natural musician and a piano teacher. These days I have music from my electronic organ by pressing buttons along with the keys. But the output lacks a certain warmth and individuality. It’s not creativity.
But the output lacks a certain warmth and individuality. It’s not creativity.
I think that captures the essence of computer-enhanced “art” in our culture, whether it be 2-D, 3-D, or performance based.
WOW – what a fantastic artist your husband is. Thanks for posting his work, I had no idea. If he does an art show on the east coast or mid-atlantic let me know, i would love to go. His work is great, I enjoyed going through the website too.
Thanks, Ann! If you ever go to Grounds for Sculpture http://www.groundsforsculpture.org/index.html in Hamilton, NJ, you will see his “The Four Amigos” sculpture as part of the “Sculpture Along the Way” exhibit. It isn’t in the park itself but outside of it. You can’t miss it–it is four fourteen-foot tall figures: http://www.thesculpturefoundation.com/artist.php?ID=173
The sculpture park is worth visiting, anyway. It was one of my favorite places to go and I miss it.
Dr. Julie – thanks for the link – Grounds for Sculpture looks amazaing, and is not too far from me – I would like to go before it gets too cold. Thanks for introducing me to a cool place in my back yard!! Will report back! Ann