Today we’d like to introduce you to Randall Good.
Hi Randall, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I suppose, looking back, that I was always an artist. As a child a drew constantly, forever making things, sketching when I should have been taking notes in class. When I was still quite young, my family lived briefly in Limerick, Ireland and that period turned out to be incredibly transformative and inspirational. The centuries-old churches were magical to me, and I saw the art in them as fulfilling many wonderful and vital roles, not just feeding a human need for beauty, but articulating a story and building myths that tell us so much about how to live, to think, to question and to dream. I graduated from the University of North Texas in Denton where I studied studio painting and drawing as well as art history, and those years sharpened my appreciation of all art, but particularly the European traditions from the Renaissance through the Romantic era and Art Nouveau.
After UNT I restored easel paintings at Art Restoration in Dallas where I further developed my technical proficiency.
The Blue Moon Gallery in Hot Springs, Arkansas launched my professional artistic career in 1999, and the relationships made there continue to inform my journey. My home gallery is Justus Fine Art, also in Hot Springs, Arkansas, but I have exhibited in numerous states including New York and Texas as well as in the UK and Italy. Lately, much of my work has been on a commission basis for patrons across the country.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
A career in the arts is probably rarely a smooth road! There is, of course, a continual struggle with outside forces, be it finding galleries in which to exhibit, the roller coaster that is financial stability for almost all young artists, not to mention the awkward balance of being both a creative and businessperson at the same time.
But there is also a struggle that is just as real, but less obvious and much less discussed, and that is the internal struggle of the creative. Constant doubts and questioning of your chosen path are insidious and can be quite destructive. When my first home gallery, at which I had exhibited for 15 years, decided to close I felt lost. The internal voices of doubt and fear started and grew louder after struggling to find a new gallery for a while. Fortunately, I had, and still have, an amazing support system that helped me through the worst of it. Some creatives can be guarded and even jealous, but most are generous and supportive and willing to help. Surround yourself with the thoughtful, the caring, the open, and generous, then cultivate and promote those qualities in yourself and you can make it through just about anything.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a painter and writer. I work in oils, watercolor, and various drawing mediums. Stylistically I am a Neo-mannerist, which means that I employ an exaggerated portrayal of the human form to elicit an emotional response. The viewer’s reaction is sparked by forms that can vary from very contorted poses to languid ones, exaggerated musculature to, very often, extremely elongated and elegant figures. All of these figures are defined by a flowing line and then presented in compositions that are stylistic and symbolic. My recent work and aesthetic is a very unique blend of these Mannerist elements with Art Nouveau, Italian and Northern Renaissance motifs, and even graphic tropes.
Recently I decided to create my own original subject matter, never treated before by any other artist. To that end I began writing a creation myth. The characters, stories, and etiologies that have come from this project make up the majority of the subjects on which I currently work. This book project has already spawned exhibitions and readings. musical interpretations, and even an amazing commission for a pair of ceiling paintings featuring mythic elements from my writings that I am in the process of completing.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Keep moving forward. To me, this means not only stamina and determination, but the openness to recognize, and then the courage, to pursue unique or alternative modes to keep your creative career growing. Be receptive to all the new and unexpected ways that your creativity, or business, etc. can thrive, whether that is in the form of an innovative, outside-the-box approach or the input of a new friend, colleague, or contact that offers another point of view.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.RandallMGood.com
- Instagram: @randallmgood
Image Credits
Brian Braun
