Artist Robert Hudson

By JENNIFER CAUDILL
Warsaw Artist Forum

Robert Hudson led the Artist Forum monthly meeting in April. He spoke about his art career and the obstacles he had to rise above to become a great artist.

Unlike many well-known artists, Hudson didn’t have family connections to give him guidance along the way. “During my childhood, fine art was not part of my vocabulary,” he jokes. When he was a sophomore in high school, his art teacher informed him that he had no talent and to quit wasting his time. Further complicating matters, Hudson is also color blind.

After Hudson graduated from high school, he joined the military and was assigned to a base in Idaho. During his down time in the military, he found himself studying the work of the Dutch masters which focused on realism and dramatic shadows. “This was in the 1960s when Jackson Pollock (an abstract artist) was successful,” he added. Conceptualism was the art movement in demand, not realism.

During a blizzard in Idaho, he started to do some sketching. When he showed the sketch to the owner of the gym he attended, he was commissioned to paint his first picture. He attributes much of his success to the footwork he was willing to do to get the jobs. His advice to those looking to start an art career is to get social. “You have to start local: Visit art galleries, do local shows. Get your name out there.”

The next Artist Forum meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. May 21, at the Bowling Alley Spare Room, 1535 N. Detroit St. Warsaw. Artist Brenda Stichter will lead the meeting. She will discuss “Marketing your Artwork on the Internet.”

All participants are encouraged to bring a current work of their art to critique after the meeting. More information can be found at http://www.artistforumgroup.com/.