Jeff Clapp - Artist | Donna Clapp

About the Artist:

Jeff Clapp - Painter

What inspires you?

People when they get their own greatness and go for their dreams, not stopped by their circumstances or conversations about themselves. When I got freedom around my stops in being a professional fine artist and now in action fulfilling that dream, I wanted nothing more than to empower others to do the same in whatever it is for them that they want. When I am able to contribute to someone in causing a result in life they thought impossible, there is nothing more satisifying for me. It allows me to experience being the kind of leader in my life I have always strived to be. Contributing to others is what is most rewarding and most makes a difference for me and when I see my art inspiring others that is over the top rewarding.

What is your medium of choice? Why?

Watercolor, for 15 years it is been my primary medium. However, for this show I broke my comfort level and tried on something totally new, acrylics. I think the last time I did anything in acryclics was in 1991 for an illustration for Atari magazine (dating myself). And what is most exciting is how quickly I fell in love with acrylics. It was a natural switch as they are both share many similar properties but I can get more out of acrylics and push them farther than I could with watercolor and I love that. It is a whole new adventure unfolding and I look forward to seeing what comes of it.

Who are your favorite artists? Who influences you?

I have many favorite artists including Rembrandt, Vermeer, Pollack, Degas, Michelangelo.

Rembrandt for his ability to have a figure come to life out of a dark and muddied background that when you are up on top of the painting it is unclear, out of focus, smears of color and then you step back about ten feet and this amazing, realistic person jumps off the canvas at you.

Vermeer was a master at capturing intimate and voyeristic moments, peeking in on someone's life as an unoticed observer, this is how I love to shoot when I am finding reference for my paintings, I often do all I can to go unnoticed by the subject so I can capture a natural, unposed look at their life.

Pollack for me is the epitomy of controlled choas. You could look at his work and say he just splattered paint but if you really spend time you see the mastery of what he created. I love to splatter and use paint to call forth movement, surprise and energy in my work and it is controlled and not all by accident.

Degas is another artist for me who spent time just observing life and people. He took the everyday person and had their moements in life be important and worth capturing on canvas. He brought elegance, grace and dignity to his subjects which I really admire.

Michelangelo is the all time king for me. After reading The Agony and The Ectasy I was hooked by his willingness to stop at nothing to be the best at what he was most passionate about. He was a pioneer in the world of sculpture and visualizing the figure and a master who was always interested in more. I most admire his perseverance and passion for life.

How long have you been creating and what or who inspired you to start?

Short and funny memory of my Mom's is that I loved to eat crayons as a kid. Guess you could say it was in my blood. I have always just loved to draw and paint. I still have my drawings from kindergarten onward. It is fun to go back and look at the progression over time. I feel most free when I am creating and have just begun to find my voice in what I am up to in my art make a difference in the world. My parents are both very artistic, though not professional artists by trade so I always had support and encouragement in pursuing this in life. That has made the biggest difference for me, having them be fully up inder what I am up to as an artist.

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