Today we’d like to introduce you to Rick J. Delanty.
Hi Rick J., please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I was a small boy in Santa Rosa, California, my mom would take me on walks in the neighborhood, under the tall eucalyptus trees, beside the fields of tall grass, in the shadow of stately homes, and near the gardens where birds sang continually. With her simple act of drawing them to my attention, she kindled an appreciation for life within me that has never gone out, and since then has sought its avenue in the creation of artworks about creation. This daily pursuit to create has opened a window on the newness and beauty of life for me, as expressed through the work process itself, what I learn about surroundings, and the treasure of the knowledge that artists, both living and deceased, have passed on to me. I cannot imagine my passion for life, beauty and art evaporating or even diminishing in the slightest as long as I live.
With my graduation from Santa Rosa High School in 1969, I was accepted to UC Santa Barbara. My intention was to graduate with degrees in Studio Art/Drawing and Painting and English Literature, which I did in 1973. What I added to that in a fifth year was a Secondary Teaching credential, which enabled me to secure a job as a teacher of English, ceramics, and cross-country coach at San Clemente High School in San Clemente, CA. Since the emphasis in UCSB studio art had been abstract expressionism, it was necessary for me immediately to teach myself how to draw.
In my third year of teaching, the chairman of the Painting and Drawing department retired–I asked the principal for his job, and he gave it to me. That led to a 32-year career of teaching incredible high-school students until my retirement in 2006 at the age of 55. I also asked a series of incoming principals during my teaching assignment if I might retain a 3/5 position (teaching 3 classes out of a full day of 5). That allowed me to also have time to paint professionally for shows and exhibitions. During that rewarding first career (teaching), I saw my students continue into their own careers as graphic designers, illustrators, teachers, automotive designers, tattoo artists, corporate leaders of creatives in a variety of fields, and fine artists.
Since ’06, I have been painting full-time. I have taught many adult classes over the years, primarily in drawing and plein air painting, until the advent of Covid. In the last couple of years, I occasionally have taught painting workshops with UC Irvine and Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.
Mostly, I am engaged in painting and preparing works for a variety of shows and organizations with whom I am a Signature member: I am also a juried artist member of the California Art Club and Christians in the Visual Arts. This year I was honored to receive the designation of Associate Living Master from the Art Renewal Center, and last year published a book entitled “Beauty Unites Us,” a collection of 52 paintings and essays I wrote to accompany them concerning my painting experiences and what I have learned/observed about life as a painter.
My work has been featured in several magazines, among them Plein Air, Fine Art Connoisseur, and American Art Collector. Books that have featured my work include “Painting in Acrylics, the Indispensable Guide,” by Lorena Kloosterboer, “A California Woman’s Story,” an art history and equestrian volume written by Joan Irvine Smith and edited by the noted historian Jean Stern, and “Seascapes and Beach Towns,” an art book co-written by Molly Siple and Jean Stern.
Today I am represented by 2 major national galleries, Waterhouse Gallery in Santa Barbara, California and Illume West Gallery in Philipsburg, Montana. I spend most days painting, eager to learn more, to paint better, to dive deeper into my own vision of heaven, the world, and the nature of experimentation and creativity. Specifically, I am preparing for the most unique exhibition of my painting career with an exhibition entitled “Inspired by History,” to be presented at the Casa Romantica Cultural Center in San Clemente, CA, opening March 16th, 2023. Twenty-two historical masterworks by early California Impressionists will be on loan there from the Boseker Family Art Collection, and twenty-two of my own works will be paired with them.
I have been working toward this show thus far for over a year, and am now preparing a catalogue and researching these works in order to share these different perspectives with the viewing audience when the show opens. The exhibition will continue through June 4th, 2023.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Balancing “making an income” with the freedom of “creating personal art” is a challenge for any working artist. I taught full-time at the secondary level for 10 years, though I desired mightily to paint full-time. My dad suggested an alternative course to quitting my teaching job to paint: teach part-time, which is what I did for the next 22 years. That time arrangement enabled me to enter shows and prepare work for exhibitions. I did make a pact with myself, though, that if any art event that I had scheduled conflicted with student participation in any way, the students would win: that included assigned projects, testing, field trips, whatever… I firmly believe that in any student-teacher relationship, if the instructor does not commit to and empathize with the student 100%, then the instructor is withholding the very essence of why that relationship exists in the first place.
Creating a career for one’s self as a working artist is also a challenge. If one is thinking that they’ll just make art in the studio all day and that the money will just flow into the bank, they should not choose “Artist” as a career choice. Think about all the other (and necessary) work that surrounds the making of art: contacting prospective clients; caring for (and being grateful for ) collectors; accounting; communication with others of all kinds, sometimes involving public speaking; devising a business plan; calendaring, scheduling, and showing up for all kinds of shows, events, and appointments; taxes; promotion and advertising; meeting deadlines; working while one is ill; being a parent and an artist; traveling long distance to galleries and shows; obtaining a gallery; keeping your gallery supplied with work; maintaining a website; photographing work; writing articles and providing interviews; doing it all cheerfully.
Why?
Because it’s worth it! It is an honor and a privilege to be an artist, to bring joy and beauty into the world, and to bless others with the creations of one’s hands. There is no feeling like it to impact someone so emotionally that they might cry, purchase your work, or even change something about the way they live. I view my job as though I am a “professional observer,” paid (even!) to see Beauty wherever it is and bring it back in a painting. For me, there is no better career…there is no better life!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I paint God’s Creation, the landscape primarily. As a fine artist, I see my job as a creator of Beauty that reflects the beauty that is in the world but which reveals even more than that. As Paul Klee said, “Art does not reproduce the visible, it makes visible.” The job of the artist is to see through, behind and underneath the apparent, to discern the spirit of Life that underlies all things.
In Scripture (Romans 1: 19-20), I find this thought that drives all of my work: “For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”
The design of heaven itself is in the things that are around us–we just need to look more closely to see them. That’s my job–and I fully appreciate doing it.
I would say I am not “proud” of my work but that I am grateful for it. It is work that I was made to do, that is purposeful, that is a pleasure to create. Work is not “toil” unless you dislike it. I love what I do. That alone may set what I do apart from some others. I read a survey once that concluded that 70% of Americans are unhappy in their jobs and that their chief dissatisfaction was “lack of creative control.” I have that and feel that I am guided in what I do by the divine Creator Himself.
What sets me apart from other artists is that–as each of them do– I speak in my own unique voice in my work. A true artist has a unique voice. All authentic artists speak in a language that is unique to them: his/her own selection of subjects, color palettes, ways of handling materials, surfaces to create upon, mark-making, specific techniques, personal concepts and vision. If I desire anything, it is to be the artist God made me to be and to speak about Him with a voice that is uniquely my own.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
God is the Creator of everything and everyone. As such, He had and has a unique purpose for all of His creation to fulfill and a “way through” for every single individual person.
I have observed that the world is not chaotic. Man brings chaos to the world through sin, disrespect, thoughtlessness, and selfishness. Beauty, order, good and truth still exist. Some believe this, and many don’t. Therein lies the conflict that tears the world apart.
I have learned that I can be one of those who, in a small way and in my own sphere of influence, can remind people I meet–through personal encounters, my writing, my paintings–that Beauty, order, good and truth DO exist. We know that because in many ways and places and people we see and feel that Love exists.
I have learned that Love is not dead, but that He has always–and still–lives. Personally, I have love for my family, my friends, my work, my surroundings, and even people I don’t know because I know that God loves them, too. I have learned that God loves me–and that His love is sufficient.
(1 John 4:12) “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.delantyfineart.com
- Instagram: @rickj.delanty
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/rickjdelanty
Image Credits
courtesy Delanty Studio
