billbrauk's Profile

From: Westminster, CO
Joined: October 29, 2007
www.brauker.com

About billbrauk:

I first started painting in the early 1970s, then life interrupted. I got married, had children, worked as a reporter, as the Press Secretary for a US. Congressman, newspaper editor, public relations executive and chief information officer for the City and County of Honolulu.

Over the years, my love of art continued, and I traveled extensively to some of the great art museums of the world. I've been to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam twice. It was like going to heaven , or finding the Holy Grail. I love discovering new paintings and painters.

I was born in Coldwater, Michigan, and lived in the state for over 40 years. After living through countless brutal Michigan winters, my wife, Anne and I decided it was time for a change. We packed up the kids and moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, for six years. Although it was beautiful and we have lots of wonderful memories, we discovered after a while, that 84 and sunny is not all it is cracked up to be, and wanted to go back to the, "real world." Leaving Hawaii in the late '90s, We moved to Colorado, in the foot hills, half way between Denver and Boulder. With the beautiful Front Range of the Colorado Rockies looming out the window, my thoughts drifted back again to those first paintings in the 1970s, and before I knew it, I had started painting again.

I am a self taught artist. Well, I did take one college art class, but it didn't go well. I placed my blank canvas on the easel and looked out the window and began painting the building across the street. The professor seemed upset that I wanted to paint in a representational style. He would have preferred that I toss the canvas on the floor, and drip paint on it. Or get on my hands and knees and smear in the paint with my fingertips, the way all the other students were doing it, but that wasn't the kind of art I wanted to do. Though, as Seinfeld said, "Not that I have anything against it." :-)

So that was my only class, and that's fine with me. I am very happy with my home-schooled art education, where I continue to learn every day.

My interest focuses on color, texture, mood and mystery. I think they must all be present for the piece to work.

I can't describe the joy of creating something out of that blank space.You just never know how it will turn out, and to me, that is the great fun of it. I'm learning to experiment more and let myself go. So keep an eye out for my future paintings.

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I am always looking for models who love classic, sensual poses, who want to tell a story in every pose. I prefer real WOMEN, lovely, sensual women, who know it and feel free in expressing it.

Look at my paintings and you will get the idea of what I mean, and what I want to paint.

I will consider photos from models and photographers, who think their work would make a good painting, that I could use. My goal is to make beautiful paintings whether I take the photo I use for reference or not.

I also do commissions, so if you want me to paint something for you, I will do it for a very reasonable rate for Artbreak members. Contact me for details.

If you would like to be involved with my artwork, please contact me and I will show you many more of my paintings and we can see if we can work out a model, artist relationship.