92 Blair Atherholt — Fall in Love with the Work

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On today's episode we sat down with Blair Atherholt, a representational oil painter who specializes in still life paintings inspired by the old masters. Blair tells us about his education at the Schuler School of Fine Art as well as how his exposure to fine art and his experience at the Schuler School led to a shift in his focus from concept art to traditional art. He also reminds us of the importance of falling in love with the work and to paint what you're truly passionate about and interested in because that passion will come through in the work. Blair also advises us to pay attention to trends on social media, but to remain authentic and put your own personal spin on things to carve out your own content. He also emphasizes the importance of not feeling pressured to show everything on social media and to embrace your failures and to use them as an opportunity to grow and improve in your art. Finally, Blair tells us about his upcoming workshop at Aura IV Tattoo and Gallery in Austin, Texas as well as his participation in a summer salon at Canary Gallery in Birmingham, Alabama.

Blair's FASO site:
https://www.blairatherholtart.com/

Blair's Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/blairatherholt/

Sign up for Blair's upcoming workshop:
https://aura4tattoo.com/#attend

Transcript

Blair Atherholt: 0:00

Paint what you love and paint what you're truly passionate about. Because you can literally paint anything, why like don't waste your time painting things that you aren't interested in, or, or don't feel something about, I would always recommend, like finding something that you love to paint and just painting that stick with that. Fall in love with the process fall in love with the you know, the subject matter whatever it is, just really get passionate about it. And I think that'll come through and your work and collectors will see that. That'll come that comes through on social media. You know, it's it's maybe the most important thing to me is kind of following that. Where are your your interests are and what you're like desperate to pain next.

Laura Arango Baier: 0:56

Welcome to the BoldBrush show, where we believe that fortune favors the bold brush. My name is Laura Arango Baier, and I'm your host. But those of you who are new to the podcast, we are a podcast that covers art marketing techniques, and all sorts of business tips specifically to help artists learn to better sell their work. We interview artists at all stages of their careers as well as others are in careers tied to the art world in order to hear their advice and insight. On today's episode, we sat down with Blair Aderholt, a representational oil painter who specializes in still life paintings inspired by the old masters. Blair tells us about his education at the Schulich School of Fine Art as well as how his exposure to fine art and his experience at the Schiller school led to a shift in his focus from concept art to traditional art. He also reminds us of the importance of falling in love with the work and to paint what you're truly passionate about and interested in, because that passion will come through in the work itself. Blair also advises us to pay attention to trends on social media, but to remain authentic and put your own personal spin on things to carve out your own content. He also emphasizes the importance of not feeling pressured to show everything on social media, and to embrace your failures and to use them as an opportunity to grow and improve in your art. Finally, Blair tells us about his upcoming workshop at aura for tattoo and gallery in Austin, Texas, as well as his participation in a summer Salon at Canary gallery in Birmingham, Alabama. Welcome Blair to the BoldBrush show. How are you today?

Blair Atherholt: 2:22

Thank you so much. I'm great. I'm great. Thank you for having me.

Laura Arango Baier: 2:26

Oh, thank you for being here. And for being so excited to be here, too. I'm excited to have you on because I think you're still legs are really amazing. I think there's some of the best ones I've seen, at least in our generation. Thank you. Because you're welcome. Because I know that you know, if you look in the past, like the Dutch masters, you just look at those. It's like, holy crap, how did they do that? Yeah. So seeing your work is also like, Oh, someone can actually try to figure it out and see if we can do another Dutch Golden Age except, you know, not Dutch.

Blair Atherholt: 2:57

Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Well, thank you very much. That means a lot. Yes,

Laura Arango Baier: 3:02

of course. And then before we dive into more of your work, do you mind telling us a bit about who you are and what you do?

Blair Atherholt: 3:08

Sure. My name is Blair. I'm a representational oil painter. I sort of specialize in still life. That's kind of where my artistic passion lies. I also sort of dabbled in pet portraits, too. But yeah, I paint a lot of still life. And I really love those, those old masters. And that's sort of the core of the art education that I got, and where I, you know, sort of first started seeing what you could do, in some ways with with still life. So that's kind of me in a nutshell. Yeah. Yeah. And

Laura Arango Baier: 3:46

you also studied at a pretty, pretty good school in terms of like materials and like more of the classical sort of way of approaching things, right.

Blair Atherholt: 3:54

I did, yeah. I'm a graduate of the Schuler School of Fine Art. In Baltimore, Maryland. Fantastic school. It's an atelier style art school, where you kind of jump in with both feet, and you try everything. So you know, I was doing sculpture and watercolor and portrait, oil painting, obviously. You kind of try everything. And then importantly, I think Adam until it, you kind of learn how those intermingle and how they're all connected. And it's all rooted in that classic style of learning and, you know, the old masters so yeah, I loved I loved my time for the shoulder school. That was that was a lot of fun and some great teachers.

Laura Arango Baier: 4:40

Yeah, yeah. And it's very inspiring to to be around, basically, to be in a place where you're surrounded by people who have a very similar goal of like improving their technique and instructors who want to give you you know, all that information as well. I think that's one of the things that I personally, really loved about going to academic school as well. So I can I can totally relate. And then I wanted to ask you, you know, when was the moment that you said, I'm pursuing the path of the artist,

Blair Atherholt: 5:10

if there wasn't a single moment where I think I decided, you know, this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life, it was more of a evolution. Right out of high school, I sort of applied to your normal colleges, just based on my, you know, academics, and I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I grown up drawing all the time. That's kind of what I did. In my free time when I was a kid. My dad's an artist, so I grew up in an art household with his paintings. He worked in the entertainment industry for a videogame company as an artist as well. So I kind of got to see that side of his work. So I was sort of steeped in it. But again, like, at the end of high school, didn't really know what I wanted to do. So I, you know, kind of look back, I was like, Well, I love to draw. I applied to these colleges, but maybe I could pursue the concept art realm of things. And mica down in Baltimore as well had a really great, I think they still do have a really great digital art program. I knew a professor there who kind of walked me around the campus. And I was like, you know, maybe I can try this. Unfortunately, part of their application process is having a portfolio of work. And I didn't have that. So I found myself kind of last minute, taking some real art classes for the first time and trying to put together a portfolio of more technical drawings, you know, not video game characters and monsters and stuff. And I was running right up against the deadline, and I looked at the portfolios, like, I don't even like this, I don't think it's strong enough to get me anywhere. Why don't I just I'll just try, you know, normal college, I went to Temple University for a semester. And I I knew immediately when I got there, that that was the wrong fit. I was in I started as a biology major, for some reason, I thought maybe that I could be a doctor. Which is very strange to say now, because that's so clearly not what I was meant to do. But I, you know, while I was there, I just realized my passion for that was not there. And I've spent my whole time again, drawing in class, you know, instead of studying. So, I realized that I should, I should have gone to art school. This is not where I'm meant to be. So that was one step on that was maybe the first real step I took on the path to being a full time artist. And it took the shape of you know, maybe instead of going to mica, I can go to the same art school my dad graduated from, which is the Schuler School of Fine Art. And I applied while I was still in Philly. Like, halfway through the semester, I was like anatomy here, there's no way this is going to work for me. And I got accepted. To the jeweler school, I mean, they'll they'll take anybody from the ground up and, and make you an artist, which is great. So I got in, and I hung out in Philly for another couple of weeks. came back and started their at their spring semester. So that was, you know, maybe the first, the first real step I took on the path to where I am now. Yeah, and a couple. I'm sorry, go ahead.

Laura Arango Baier: 9:12

Well, you prefer it. Yeah.

Blair Atherholt: 9:14

Well, I was gonna say, you know, I, my plan for going to the jeweler school was to learn the technical side of art, learn how to draw, learn how to paint, build up some skills to you know, create a portfolio to take that into the concept art world. And I found that, you know, through the four year program there, I kind of stopped caring about concept art. You know, I sort of fell in love with with traditional art and painting specifically. So it kind of like morphed as I was there. I was like, You know what, I really enjoy this and I'm like, I'm getting pretty okay at it. So I think I could, I think I could Try this instead of, you know, entering the crazy world of concept art. So it's been in summary, it's kind of a progression, you know, as I sort of grew and evolved throughout my process of art school and my exposure to fine art and everything. So, yeah, there wasn't one moment, I guess. Right? You know, where I decided, right?

Laura Arango Baier: 10:31

Yeah, well, that's, yeah, I feel like a lot of people would relate to that. Because I also did two years of college. And then I was like, just after like, I think it was a first semester. I was like, this is awful. What I want to do so, really, except I wasn't studying biology, which I think you were probably probably not doing, like so great emotionally. Because biology is one of the harder like things to study in college.

Blair Atherholt: 11:01

I flunked the first midterms and I was like, Oh,

Laura Arango Baier: 11:05

right. Yeah. That's one of the harder ones. I studied psychology. So it was a little easier. I still had to take like, chem lab and all these things. But yeah, it's not fun when you, you know, you go in because you're like, trying to find something that works for you. And then suddenly, like, you're like, oh, no, I Yeah, no, this isn't going to happen. Um, so I relate. I completely relate to that. Yeah.

Blair Atherholt: 11:32

And it's scary, you know, cuz, I mean, at least growing up. I was, that's sort of what you did it, like, you went to college, and you got a degree and you know, at college, maybe you found the thing that you were interested in doing. So. It's kind of it was kind of scary, leaving that, like more traditional approach to higher education. For something like art, which can be unpredictable.

Laura Arango Baier: 11:59

Yeah, that's another good point. Yeah. Because, um, I guess, especially when you grew up in the United States, you're always told like, Oh, you have to go to college. Like, it's like, inevitable. It's almost like, everyone does it. You got to do it, too. Right. So, yeah, yeah. And then also, I always felt weird about that, because it was always for me, like, why would I want to go somewhere? That's gonna put me in a ton of debt. And yeah, I'm not even gonna enjoy it. Yeah, so that's the other side of it. Right? It's like, compared to like, the typical American University, going to an affiliate is as expensive as it is to go to like a community college basically. Right?

Blair Atherholt: 12:40

Right. So much more approachable. financially. Yeah.

Laura Arango Baier: 12:44

And they'll actually teach you something like, if you go to a college art class, it's, you're not gonna get any technique, you're just gonna get like the modernized, contemporary approach to art, which is paint what you feel what it's like, but what if I want to paint better?

Blair Atherholt: 13:01

I feel like I want to be good at this. Exactly.

Laura Arango Baier: 13:04

Exactly. So it's a much different way of approaching art, or at least, you know, it's not the right place for someone wants to learn realism, unless they're into like, a lot of self study, and very little support. Because I've also met people who they've gone to colleges, and they've studied, like, art at these colleges, and they're hoping to get technique, but they actually get beat down. And they get asked, like, Why do you even want to learn to paint better? Essentially, like they get like, rejected? Yeah. Which is really unfortunate. Um, because it leaves in the space. Like, it's supposed to be like, artists, everything. Right? So why isn't it allowing space for like realism as well? Um, yeah. But, you know, speaking of painting, I did want to ask you also, why still life? Why did that become something that you decided to pursue?

Blair Atherholt: 13:59

I think for me, what I really enjoyed and still enjoy about still life is the level of control that I have, in the creative process of it, you know, you I get to pick the paint a lot of fruit, I get to pick the the individual pair that I want to pay, I want to pick the, you know, the grapes, I can control the lighting and play with the background and and I just really from the get go enjoyed that kind of customization aspect of it that I had that I felt that I had, you know, I could throw something crazy up there and paint it and I was like, Oh, well, that didn't work. You know, who cares? You know, I didn't have like a model fee or something. I could, you know, pay that pair again or whatever. But I I think that for me was was the first thing that I really liked about it was you know, I can create my own little world in this still life and the ability The to, you know, as I progressed, you know, in my still life painting started to realize like, oh, you can have like more narratives in it to like, it doesn't just have to be individual objects that I think are cool I can, you know, kind of, like I said, kind of built this little world and this little story with these objects. And I think that's what that's what really drew me to it first, when I was kind of, like I said, exploring all these different options at art school that stood out to me, like initially, initially, that guy was so drawn to it from the get go, and that customization kind of aspect of it, if that makes sense. Yeah.

Laura Arango Baier: 15:47

Would you say that there's a bit of overlap with like, concept art and still life?

Blair Atherholt: 15:52

I think there definitely is because yours sort of, you can paint a still life as precisely as you want. That's not typically how I do it, I'll kind of pick and choose my favorite aspects of things that are up there, push and pull things around. So it is very similar to concept art in that way, where you're kind of working in fantasy, you know, or sci fi or, you know, you can really push these boundaries to a place that, you know, isn't what's literally in front of you. So I would agree, I think there's definitely a lot of overlap. And there's so much you can do. There's so much you can do with still life. Yeah,

Laura Arango Baier: 16:33

that's true. Yeah. I mean, people I think a lot of people miss misunderstand and think that it's still up is like, the typical bowl of like, fruits. Right? I feel like that's the first thing that everyone just thinks. So life. Yeah, I agree. There's so much more to it. And like objects themselves have personality, and they have a story to tell, especially when they're surrounded by other objects that push that narrative as well. So, you know, it's really cool. It's almost like, you know, if someone does this to life of like, oh, the alchemists like a desk or something. And it's like, all these cool knickknacks and like glass, and I can write like, yeah, it tells a story. It's like, yeah, it's just a different way of doing it, instead of like, a face or models. An object, which is, obviously it's what's an object that's manmade, essentially, except for fruits and like, you know, natural things, but it's still touched by us in some way. Right? Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I did want to ask also, because, you know, I think it's, it's something I wish I would ask more often, and that is who or what would you say, is your greatest influence in your work?

Blair Atherholt: 17:51

I think the first influence was my dad, obviously, you know, growing up with him, seeing his work, seeing what he did for work. Definitely my first influence, but I remember a specific day at when I was in art school, super early on, I was talking to my painting teacher, and I was telling him like, you know, I really like still, like, this is really cool. I think it's really fun. And he's like, dude, if you like still life, you need to check out David LaFell his work. It was like, I've never heard of him. And he's like, wait here, and he went, and he got his book, The oil painting secrets from a master. He brought it down. And he's like, look at this, if you want to do still life, or if you know, if you're interested in still life, this is where to start. I mean, I looked through it over lunch, and I like I couldn't put it down because it was eye opening. It was like awakening to me. Because like you just mentioned, you know, a lot of the still life I had seen really was like the bowl of fruit, you know, which can be really cool. And there's nothing wrong with that. But I saw what David the fell does with just simple kind of everyday objects, you know, like a glazed piece of pottery and a peach and some grapes. And, like his ability to elevate those objects to like this, like godlike or for lack of a better word, like epic level was really striking. And you know, I remember thinking like wow, like you can you can make this stuff look that cool with still life. And it was beautiful. And it was like I want to make people feel the way that I feel right now looking at this with you know, whatever still life I end up doing. So I remember like that day was huge. And from that point, it was like okay, on oil painting days, I'm painting still life because I want to do that. I want to make people feel that way. When they see these, you know, everyday objects. I think there's so much power in that. And it's really cool. And it's, it was super inspiring. So I think, you know, definitely that that day and his work. And then also, I love sharing Dan's work, you know, with the same idea, just everyday household objects that are just beautiful. It's striking, and you can't, I couldn't stop looking at them. And I was really drawn to the ability of an artist to use still life, to elevate these things that maybe we take for granted or don't really take a second look at, you know, in our everyday life, the ability to make them feel important, was super cool. And I still carry that, that that inspiration with me today, you know, it, it was a huge turning point for the direction I wanted to take, you know, my, my training then.

Laura Arango Baier: 20:58

At BoldBrush, we inspire artists to inspire the world, because creating art creates magic, and the world is currently in desperate need of magic. BoldBrush provides artists with free art marketing, creativity, and business ideas and information. This show is an example. We also offer written resources, articles and a free monthly art contest open to all visual artists. We believe that fortune favors the bold brush, and if you believe up to sign up completely free at BoldBrush show.com. That's the O LD BRUSH show.com. The BoldBrush Show is sponsored by FASO. Now more than ever, it's crucial to have a website when you're an artist, especially if you want to be professional in your career. Thankfully, with our special link faso.com forward slash podcasts, you can make that come true. And also get over 50% off your first year on your artists website. Yes, that's basically the price of 12 lattes in one year, which I think is a really great deal considering that you get sleek and beautiful website templates that are also mobile friendly e commerce print on demand in certain countries, as well as access to our marketing center that has our brand new art marketing calendar. And the art marketing calendar is something that you won't get with our competitor. The our marketing calendar gives you day by day step by step guides on what you should be doing today, right now in order to get your artwork out there and seen by the right eyes so that you can make more sales this year. So if you want to change your life and actually meet your sales goal this year, then start now by going to our special link faso.com forward slash podcast. That's s a s o.com. Forward slash podcast. No book. Awesome. I love David LaFell. I love it.

Blair Atherholt: 22:42

I need to I wish I haven't met him. I really I really wish I could meet him because his work is just so it's insane. It's so it

Laura Arango Baier: 22:52

breeds it. Yeah, that's a it's it's amazing. Yeah, oil painting secrets are a master was one of my very first oil painting books that a guy's nice. And it was before I even knew how to oil paint. I bought it hoping that would teach me. Um, and I did like when I would read through it. I did feel like I got it. But I feel like if I reread it now I'd be like, oh, yeah, these concepts are way too complicated for me to get way back then. Yeah. Yeah. David LaFell. Yeah, he's a great influence to have. It's kind of like I feel like David LaFell with like, still life is like the equivalent of alla prima and Oh, my God, Schmid. Right. Yes. Yeah. Yep. Like, yeah, that's another book that's absolutely stunning. Stunning. I feel like a lot of people. It's like, a Bible for them like a painting. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and they're, you know, wonderful people. As well, which? I don't know, just I feel like that. deified some even more, you know, like, you're a good person and a good painter. Nice. Yeah, exactly. But yeah, I can totally see I can see the influence in your work. You know, there's that the copper, the brass the shiny, like objects, and then the dark. Yes. And the, I guess, like, almost like Bear tables or like, yeah, all of those are like wonderful textures. I feel like that's one of the nice things about Raphael and that I also see in your work that is quite beautiful. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah,

Blair Atherholt: 24:29

I guess I owe my sort of obsession is still life somewhat to him.

Laura Arango Baier: 24:34

Yeah, yeah. So I hope he made him then. Kudos, you've done great. Yeah. Um, and then I actually have an extra question for you that that I didn't include. Um, what is your goal with your still life paintings? I think

Blair Atherholt: 24:59

all timidly I, my whole goal, you know, in being an artist is to make a living doing something I love, you know, nothing crazy, I just want to like be a craftsman in my craft and try to be the best artists that I can be, and hopefully make a comfortable living with that. More philosophically, I think I'm, I'm still trying to figure out what my, like, what I'm trying to say, if I'm trying to say anything, you know, because for a long time, I painted stuff that I thought literally just looked cool. And that carried me for a long time. It still does. But I'm starting to realize, like, I could probably if I wanted to paint whatever I want, and what does that look like, you know, 30 years from now, 40 years from now, I think I was still very much evolving in my, my, my long term goal for like, my body of work, I guess you could say. So yeah, I'm not I'm not really sure. I think ultimately, like, I just want to, like I said, be like a craftsman in this craft, and try to push myself to be the best, you know, the best artists that can be honestly, that's, that's the overriding, I think mission that I have. It's trying to what I bring to the board, I try to bring to the easel every day, you know, just be better than the day before, if possible. And it's not always. But

Laura Arango Baier: 26:41

that's it's unfortunate. But yeah, it's a it happens for like, it's almost like you take three steps forward, two steps back, kind of sometimes, I feel like that happens to everyone, and everyone sees like painters, and they think, Oh, you probably just like make a good painting every single time. You know, the probably like every painting is probably like, even better than last. And it's like, I wish I wish. Yeah, I

Blair Atherholt: 27:06

wish that was the case. I wouldn't be I mean, that would have so many things. I wouldn't know what to do with them. If that was the case. Most of them are in a pile over there. But

Laura Arango Baier: 27:16

yes, yes, I feel like that's something to really emphasize to people is have like 10 really great paintings, you probably have 20 to 30 that are failures, and they're sitting in a pile. And that's okay. You know, it's part of the process. Yeah, not everything's gonna be perfect. And not you don't you know, it's like, every day when you're in front of the canvas, and the easel like, you're not always in the headspace. Right. You know, like, sometimes, what you bring to the easel is probably maybe today, it's like a little bit more suffering than yesterday, or like, a little bit more joy than yesterday. Like, it really varies. And it's, it's such an organic thing that I think that's also Yeah, it's it's very good to emphasize that as well. Yeah, yeah. And

Blair Atherholt: 28:04

I've found as well, you know, the failed paintings tend to be the best ones, like I, I'll bring, if I'm consciously trying to learn from a failed experiment or a failed painting, I can bring some of that lesson into my next one. And I think over, you know, the, the painting process over the time spent in the studio, that all adds up. And then one day, it's like, there it is, like, I've learned from all of these failures, here's the painting that resulted from it. And I can almost literally, sometimes look back at these failed paintings and be like, I took that and that and that, and it made a guide, I learned from all of those failures, and I created this, and it's a really, like, frustrating process, you know, to, to fail that many times and not, you know, at the end of the day, have a painting, but it's so rewarding. If if, you know, once I realized that, you know, the the ones that didn't work led to the one that did, and it's frustrating and like weirdly beautiful that way, because it's so imperfect.

Laura Arango Baier: 29:16

Yeah. Yeah. And it represents that growth as well. Yeah, growing pains are legit, especially with painting. I completely Yeah. I feel that. I feel that. And then he mentioned you know, wanting to live from your work, you know, what advice would you give to an artist who's actually looking to start living from their work?

Blair Atherholt: 29:41

I think the most important thing for me is to paint what you love and paint what you're truly passionate about. Because you can literally paint anything. Why like don't waste your time painting things that you aren't interested In, or, or don't feel something about, because I think that comes through, I know it comes through, I see it sometimes in some of those failed paintings where, you know, I just wasn't passionate about this setup or this subject or you know, I think that really, like you said, even your your headspace kind of comes through into in your work. So I would always recommend, like finding something that you love to paint and just painting that stick with that fall in love with the process, fall in love with the you know, the subject matter, whatever it is, just really get passionate about it. And I think that'll come through and your work and collectors will see that. That'll come that comes through on social media, you know, it's, it's, maybe the most important thing to me is kind of following that, where your your interests are and what you're like desperate to pay next. And another thing it kind of ties into that is is don't pay specifically to sell, I think, you know, if I know, I can sometimes get stuck in a rut where it's like, I'll do a painting and like, you know, it sells and it's great. And I'll kind of find myself falling back into that same framework that that successful painting was in so many collectors, I think can collectors and viewers in general of your work can see that, I think when it's like, you're just kind of playing the same note over and over again. So yeah, there's those, I think those are the two, the two like core principles that I think will lead to a career in the arts is, you know, find something you're really passionate about and stick to that. And, you know, don't just pay to sell something. As as vague as that might sound. But no,

Laura Arango Baier: 32:09

it's Yeah, it makes perfect sense. Because it also implies, like, emotional sustainability, too, because it's really hard to. Yeah, it's, it's really hard to just like, live a life where you are living for others long term, because, like you're saying, like, if you just paint to sell your painting for the other, and what if that other doesn't even really exist, or hasn't come across your work, it's going to be disappointing. Like if you're going to torture yourself doing something for someone else, you might as well get a real job where you where you work nine to five, I'm not saying art, being an artist isn't a real job. I just mean like a real job. Like, yeah, that you get like a paycheck. And at least you'll be miserable. But you're getting a steady paycheck, instead of being miserable, and maybe not getting anything.

Blair Atherholt: 33:01

That's funny, you say that too, because that's part of the reason I deviated from the concept art kind of track is, you know, I got to see my dad, and you know, he loved his job, I got to see his day to day. And, you know, he that job, not just him. But you know, as a concept artist, you're kind of painting and drawing other people's ideas, you know, so it's like, you're kind of not working to, you know, create your own specific vision, you're, you're working within these frameworks. So don't don't do that in the studio, while you have the freedom to paint what you're really passionate about. Yeah, so I think that that kind of ties in?

Laura Arango Baier: 33:46

Yeah, yeah, definitely. Um, speaking of, you know, like, day jobs and whatnot, have you like, what have you done to help you supplement your income as an artist?

Blair Atherholt: 33:59

Ah, so, you know, now that I do this full time out, I teach workshops, I teach one or two workshops a year. And that's been great. You know, I've just started to get into started exploring, selling prints of my work, as opposed to just originals. But honestly, the what I did for, you know, the early part of my career in art school, so I had other part time jobs. So it's not ideal, but early on, it helped me out, you know, because I could pay my way through art school and, and kind of get out in the world was still trying to figure out how to do this. You know, and I was really fortunate then to have some really good jobs that kind of brought something to the table for me. In terms of my, the way I approach art, the I work for a landscaping company, which is great and it was really hard work and it taught me the importance and sort of really hard work and how much that pays off. And then later on, I, you know, when I was started doing this more full time, I bartended, for a little bit, and that, that kind of helped me out because it brought me out of my shell a little bit more, you know, I wasn't just in the studio, I was out talking to people and, you know, service industry stuff is good for that, you know, you kind of you got to talk to them. You can't just stand there. So I think that, while not ideal to have something that's not art early on, I think that kind of helped me. But nowadays, like I said, I do workshops. And I've, like I said, started exploring some prints of my work. So little things like that. Definitely help.

Laura Arango Baier: 35:48

Yeah, yeah, I love that. You mentioned that, you know, the, you get this crossover of things that you learn from these side hobbies that are not signed out side jobs, that feed into your own practice as an artist, because it makes sense, right? And I bet to that, being a bartender must have helped you also learn to better communicate, like and, you know, bring that into how you communicate with your work, right? Absolutely.

Blair Atherholt: 36:14

Yeah, definitely. Yeah, it really, I mean, not that I was like, a super shy person before, but it really kind of puts you bartending kind of puts you on this stage in front of people and, and it really did help, like you said, Build some communication skills. And and it was it was pretty good for the time to do that again, but oh,

Laura Arango Baier: 36:37

yeah, that's pretty it sounds like it's pretty intense. Any service industry job is, I think, really hard on the psyche. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I can see that 1000 Yard Stare? Oh, yeah.

Blair Atherholt: 36:54

I had a pretty easy to I worked at a brewery. So it was a tap room. It wasn't like I wasn't, you know, making 200 drinks a night. It was it was pretty easy stuff. But yeah, some i The impression I got of some of the other bars, at least in town where, you know, it's not the easiest thing.

Laura Arango Baier: 37:14

Yeah, definitely not. But that's awesome. Because, you know, it's like doing hard things like that. Definitely prepares your headspace for when you're faced with like a really challenging painting. Because it forces you to push past it, or set it aside and try again, you know, I mean, at least in a painting, that's that easy. service on the street isn't quite easy. But it definitely prepares you.

Blair Atherholt: 37:40

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, it prepares you to get uncomfortable and be okay with being uncomfortable. Because that's important with art and painting too is, you know, if you're if you're not uncomfortable, you're maybe not doing something completely right. You know, not growing and pushing, you know, through that, like you said, so

Laura Arango Baier: 38:00

yes, yes, wholeheartedly. Yes. You have to be uncomfortable, at least a little bit. That's that's where the growth happens. Like you said, and I did want to ask you and this is gonna sound a little bit because I personally struggle with the idea of branding in the sense of it almost dehumanizing, like work sometimes or even artists. But I did want to ask you what your opinion on branding as an artist is and do you find that it is useful to see yourself as a brand

Blair Atherholt: 38:35

I think it is useful because I think as soon as you start putting your work out there you're kind of starting down the path of being a brand because we're all individuals so I think it it's important to be aware of it but I don't think that it I don't know at least for me I'm afraid that if I kind of like put it in stone like I am this type of artist I do this type of work this is my my brand I think that might be limiting especially early on you know I still feel like I don't necessarily want to tie myself down to the to one specific look or type of painting so I think it's something that probably develops over time you know, you'll kind of experiment with stuff and and come up with your own look and feel and different types of subject matter and I think it kind of organically grows at least I think it is for me you know because I think if I like I said if I if I just put my foot down and said you know I only pain I level still life with these certain things. That's what I'm going to be known for. Maybe I won't push myself to grow outside of that one. unspecific Avenue, you know, not that there's anything wrong with being good at one thing, but for me, I think I want to leave my options open for the future, because, you know, I want to try to, I want to try to grow as an artist. So I think it's kind of like a weird, I guess, double edge thing where you are a brand, because you're you, and you're putting your work out there that is specifically yours. But I don't know, I think I try not to focus too much on it. Because I, I want to just keep growing and keep doing new stuff. And, you know, maybe I won't even my work won't even look the same in, you know, a couple of years. So that's kind of my take on it. The old, the one branding thing I did do is, you know, my signature is a logo, it's not my Navy. I wanted early on, first of all, to have a pretty recognizable signature. And that was inspired by how bad my name looks when I tried to spell out after holds it with a brush on a painting. So I think something like that is one step I've definitely taken in that direction, where it's like, I want people to recognize my, my signature, which is happens to be a logo. So those are kind of my thoughts on it. Yeah,

Laura Arango Baier: 41:26

yeah. It's yeah, it makes sense to it's almost like if you start thinking about branding the for you think about yourself, like you're putting the cart before the horse, right? Like it should follow. Right? Like, it shouldn't be the priority. And I think that's where I agree that a lot of people think of it backwards. Rather than your person, this is what you like. And yeah, it'll inevitably come through. And I really liked that you mentioned that you don't want to put yourself in like a box, right? Because you want to leave yourself open for experimentation and open for, like you said that growth because primarily, you know, as artists, what we do is, it's more for us than for anyone else. And it should pretty much remain that way as much as possible, because that's how you grow. And that's how you like, find a higher purpose than just Oh, yeah, painting for such and such thing over there. And I'm just going to keep doing it. Because that's what I'm good at. But that stagnates you? It

Blair Atherholt: 42:32

does, yeah, and you'll burn out that way. I mean, I've, I've dealt with some burnout, because I'm, you know, I've fallen into that, like I said, falling into that rut of like, well, this works, I'm just going to do this. But you know, you can only paint a pair in grapes the same way so many times before you start to really not like it and really lose interest. And it's something I tried to be very aware of is like, don't get stuck in one box. Just try to try something new. Just do something weird with the painting. And you'll feel better at the end of it and take something with you. And you know, you won't get railroaded into one specific thing. Yeah,

Laura Arango Baier: 43:15

yeah. And I think one more thing that that I would want to mention as you don't have to show that to anyone. Right? We always feel this pressure of like, oh, I have to put it on social media, or I have to post on social media if I don't get shadow banned or whatever. So yeah, you don't have to show everything. That's okay.

Blair Atherholt: 43:37

You shouldn't show everything. Yeah. Yeah,

Laura Arango Baier: 43:40

yeah. Um, which brings me actually to social media, because you have quite a big social media, you have 88,000 followers. It's crazy. Yeah, that's like a good sized town right there. Um, so I wanted to ask you have any social media tips for artists who maybe are looking to grow their following

Blair Atherholt: 44:01

the thing that's worked for me the best sort of ties back to, you know, paint what you're truly interested in paying what you're invested in what you're passionate about. And like I said, it comes through no matter what size your audience is, they'll see it, you know, they'll see that you're excited, they'll see that you are, like I said, just passionate about what you're working on. So I think at the ground level, that is how I approached social media. You know, I don't I don't post paintings that at all, that I'm not excited about. So I'd say start there, and also kind of pay attention to the trends that are going on, you know, reels exploded. Was it a year or two ago? That was huge that honestly, you know, starting to post reels was like how I grew my following to what it is, and it was a Insane like it was, I couldn't believe it. But also to like pay attention to the trends, maybe put your own spin on it, you know, try to like navigate your own way and carve your own unique sort of content through the what is popular and what's what's kind of going off on on social media. So I'd say those two things, or at least would drive me when, when posting my work, sharing. Yeah. Yeah.

Laura Arango Baier: 45:30

And I actually, I just want to ask you to, have you found that you've sold more through social media? Or do you like, or have you sold also more through a gallery? For example?

Blair Atherholt: 45:43

The majority of my sales are gallery sales, but I do. I mean, a lot of commissions come through social media, you know, I'll talk to people see something they like, no, contact me like, hey, love this, but could you you know, do you had something, you know, whatever their vision is. So I think social media, for me has really driven commissions, which is great, because I love the commission process, and, and, you know, really making something that somebody's excited about, and is their own, in some ways, their own idea. So I'd say in that way, it's good for at least on my end driving commission, specifically, but you know, I do I do also sell work through Instagram and social media. So

Laura Arango Baier: 46:30

yeah, and I mean, I like asking, because, you know, sometimes, you know, the amount of followers you have doesn't really correlate with sales. Right? Because sometimes, you know, it's like looky Loos, or like people who like they support you, but they can't, sometimes it can't afford your work, or sometimes they just follow because they're like, Oh, this is cool. And then just follow up. Right? Yeah. So that's why I like asking, because it's like, the more followers you have the oftentimes the less sales because it's like, relative, right?

Blair Atherholt: 47:00

Sure. Yeah. It's

Laura Arango Baier: 47:01

like a slight. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So it's good to know that you still get commissions and still get opportunities with your large following. So yeah, awesome. And then speaking of, you know, like, side things that you do to get sales, do you have any upcoming shows or workshops that you would like to promote? Yeah,

Blair Atherholt: 47:22

I'm doing a workshop this fall in Austin, Texas at Ara for tattoo and gallery to great space. I've done a couple, a couple workshops with them in the last few years. And it's, it's awesome. So I'm looking forward to that. It's October 11, through the 13th. So that's coming up. I'm super excited to run a workshop out there. And I'm also at one of the galleries that represents my work, they're having a summer salon, and I I have eight new paintings that are going to kind of debut there. So that's a canary gallery in Birmingham, Alabama. And that's an August so those are kind of the two the big high points coming up for me, so,

Laura Arango Baier: 48:11

so exciting. I'm excited. Yeah. And then where can people find more of your work?

Blair Atherholt: 48:18

So my websites the best place I have everything that's, you know, in the galleries on my website, blether whole art.com. And the galleries have websites, but everything can be found links to all of that through my my own personal website. So yeah. Blair after alarm.com

Laura Arango Baier: 48:38

Perfect. Well, thank you so much Blair, for your time and for your advice and for being on the show. Thank

Blair Atherholt: 48:45

you so much. It's an honor to be here. I've been really excited for this. So thank you.

Laura Arango Baier: 48:50

Thank you