Gary Arnold, The New
Orleans Acrylic Artist. I was born in New Hampshire, and for the past 33
years I have lived in greater New Orleans. I've made it my passion to be
innovative and devoted to Southern Impressionism. With only high school
art classes and thousands of hours of reading and studying and a lifetime of
painting, I have developed a distinctive style of acrylic painting blending
soft figures of realism with a gentle touch of classic impressionism. I believe
that painting is storytelling and each of my paintings is a dialogue and an
introduction to bond themselves to the viewer.
Each painting is my
attempt to show the viewer the beauty that arose in that one stirring moment: a
horse running, a boxer practicing, a woman working out, a pet cuddling, a
mother and child embracing, the sun touching a Louisiana skyline.
My paintings play with light and form and pastel colors in a playful and
hopefully an extremely personal way.
My technique was
developed by feeling things deeply and learning to see simply, and from that my
individual style and technique arose. My sense of color also developed
along these personal lines, what I call my soul-state. That soul-state
lets me see how light and color and value effect the canvas with rich textures,
warm hues, strong or light areas of contrast.
I was not always best
known for being an artist. I am also the founder and CEO of Windhorse
Corp., a marketing company for TV, Syndicated Radio, video, print and social
media.
I received my doctorate in Business Communications in the early
80’s. I have written several books and published dozens of
audiobooks. I've been fortunate enough to have circumnavigated the globe
22 times giving keynotes and workshops.
It was not until the
Covid pandemic of 2020 that several of my friends and clients encouraged me to
explore doing more with my talents as a painter. Almost immediately,
Amazon and online sales came into the picture. Viewers were impressed
with my color sense and the soft pastel colors I use in my acrylic
paintings. Sales began immediately and online interest expanded into my
own line of prints, products, clothing , infact the product-line of my art
related products continues to expand and is now a global endeaver.
During the pandemic, I
met with Camron James, an Amazon ecommerce millionaire, who encouraged me to
pursue and combine my paintings and marketing talents and invited me to become
his protégé. Today I continue to study under the tutelage of Camron, and
I now devote much of my creative energy into my paintings, the world of art, my
expanding product line and online and off-line marketing.
I live with my wife Anita
in greater New Orleans with our 9-year-old black lab, Maggie. We find New
Orleans is the perfect environment to inspire me daily and continually push my
creative potential.
The last 33 years of living in New Orleans has been a
tremendous influence on my paintings, my work ethic, and how I continue to
perfect my style that is recognize in my paintings today.
In my development as an
artist, I've had the added advantage of being an expert in videography,
Photoshop, and photography. This has given me a certainty of value, color
transitions, form and composition in my paintings, and I try to make that
translate into a sense of freshness, boldness, and dash that enthralls my
viewers.
My videography, photography, and commercial media design have
affected the design, color and content of my art. I spend an inordinate
amount of time arranging each motif, eliminating, sacrificing, moving, to create
a more intoxicating light, or another dimension or angle that was of greater
attraction. Seeking a shared dialogue through the painting itself, I work at
documenting that fleeting feeling of tenderness, humor, enchantment, or motion,
in each special moment.
My largely self-taught impressionistic style has
brought me moderate acclaim around the world, as well as a solid local artistic
identity.
Throughout the world, my
paintings hang in some important private and corporate collections.