Today we’d like to introduce you to Clint Atkinson.
Hi Clint, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was that kid who was interested in art from the age of eight. My mother was an artist and I was blessed with parents who encouraged my work. I’ve lived in many different places: born in New Orleans, growing up in Guatemala, Houston, and Corpus Christi. After three years as a US Navy photographer, I joined up with a friend who had decided to move to British Columbia, Canada.
I fell in love with Canada and spent the next twenty years there. I returned to Texas in 1997, settling here in Austin. My first marriage had ended and I was ready for a new chapter. It also allowed me to be near my parents who were in their final years of life.
I first learned art history in the 8th grade. A junior secondary course doesn’t seem like much but can have a big impact on a young artist! I didn’t begin a serious career until entering university as a mature student and earning my B.F.A at the age of 34 from the University of Victoria in British Columbia and later my M.F.A in Montreal.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Early in my career things were going well, with gallery shows in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. My work was acquired by the Canada Art Bank, as well as in private and gallery collections.
In the 1990s, the wheels came off the cart. Health issues, financial pressures and an exhausting end to my first marriage stopped my career for the next twenty years. From 1996 to 2016, I stopped serious painting.
I returned to Texas in 1997 and focused on my work in social services full time, working with at-risk adolescents and finishing my social work career as a caseworker with Children’s Protective Services.
In 2016 I decided to restart my art career. I knew it would take time. By 2019 I began to show and sell again. That first gallery submission was a little scary, but with the show and sale I was on my way. And then, of course, the pandemic hit and galleries began closing and shows were canceled.
2022 looks like the year… again.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My goal is to create emotive painting and drawing that combines impactful figurative compositions with equally powerful surface work. I place importance on both the overt figurative composition and surface mark-making. When successful, the figure rides between being destroyed and held together by a richly worked surface. I often work fairly large for this reason, up to 8 feet by 10 feet.
I have a great affinity with charcoal as a medium. Its simplicity and range are a powerful combination. Since the pandemic, I’ve been exploring spray painting and working more with color. It’s been an equally exciting and frustrating time!
My work is often narrative in nature but has no expectation of message. The viewer will always bring their personal context. That said, I always strive to deliver authentic feeling, a personal truth to which the viewer can connect.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Today I’m blessed with a large studio in North Austin. I have space to work on multiple projects including very large pieces simultaneously. I’m in the studio most days, often from before sunrise until the late afternoon, but I also try to make a point each week to visit Austin’s galleries.
I welcome anyone interested to text me about stopping in for a visit and vice versa. I’m all about community and networking!
Contact Info:
- Email: clintatk@gmail.com
- Website: clintatkinsonart.com
- Instagram: clintatkinsonart
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/clintatk
Image Credits:
clintatkinsonart
