September 2012 Cover Cover Artist: Bill Muck    

Bill has been painting, exhibiting, and selling his work for nearly all of his adult life. in 1977, while serving on active duty (flying KC-135A and B-1B Aircraft for the US Air Force) he completed his first commissioned drawing...a whopping 6' x 3' picture of a B-1B Bomber that was so realistic that many mistook it for a photograph! Since then, he has counted numerous celebrities and governmental leaders as his clients. His works are part of government, corporate and private collections throughout the US and at last count at least 18 different countries.

Bill has had several one-man and group shows in Reno, NV and in Southern California, and has received numerous awards for his work, including "Best of Show" for 6 out of 8 entries in various juried competitions. His paintings have appeared on the covers of several magazines and in December, he was featured in an article appearing in "Pet Folio" magazine. In June, 2011, he was featured as "Artist of the Month" by The Art Collaboration.com website.

Giving back to the community is very important to Bill, as he currently teaches 4 painting classes per week, including Beginning Oil Painting, Advanced Oil Painting, Senior's Oil Painting and Beginning Acrylic Painting classes. He regularly donates his artwork (prints and originals) to various charitable organizations who work to preserve nature and wildlife, and at last count, has helped raise over $1 million for their causes. Bill currently resides in Reno, NV with his wife, Lisa.

thalo:  Your piece is titled “Supremacy” can you give us some insight as to why that title represents this painting? 

Bill Muck: “Supremacy” is one of the first projects I did in my “Big Cats” series. For each piece, I wanted a single-word title that best described the character or attitude of the subject. In this case, the confidence and power of this beautiful tiger just seemed to overflow, and her majestic character really seemed to come to life in this painting.

th:  Your art primarily focuses on animals and machines; what about these ideas captivates you so much? 

BM: While I tend to specialize in painting and drawing animals, I often push myself into other projects, too. I love the technical accuracy that painting a detailed car requires…there is absolutely NO room for error. It is either right, or it isn’t…there is no middle ground! Creating all the tiny reflections accurately on a car (especially an open-engine roadster) demands absolute technical perfection, and if it isn’t perfect, the owner of the car will be able to immediately spot it! If a tie-rod or a spark-plug cable isn’t in exactly the right spot, or if it is just a little crooked, someone who knows cars will be all over it! Painting animals, on the other hand, is much more forgiving. If I paint a hair crooked or slightly “off”, there are about a million more hairs to hide it!

The bottom line is this, I think that to be a well-rounded artist, you need to be able (and willing) to jump out of your “comfort zone” and try projects that push your limits. It’s one thing to be able to paint a pretty picture, but I like to be able to paint technically accurate pictures, too!

th:  The intensive accuracy within your paintings is incredible; would you care to elaborate on how you create such concentrated details?

BM: Depending on the subject, I may spend several weeks just doing pre-layout research. Especially for painting animals, I carefully study the “growth pattern” of the fur…how it lays and how the light hits it. I will look at literally hundreds of photos of the animal and try to study every detail…especially in the head and neck areas. Then, one of my earliest layout drawings will be what I call my “fur map” where I sketch all the different directions that the fur grows. This “fur map” will become an invaluable tool as the painting develops.

As I begin my painting, I use the strongest reading glasses that I can find…which is a bit unusual, because I have perfect eyesight! But working on a painting with these glasses allows me to see things so large, and lets me clearly see each and every hair that I paint. I decided that if a painting looks good to me from a distance of 8-10” using these reading glasses, than it will look even better to someone who is viewing the painting from a “normal” distance. 

th:  About how long would you say one painting takes you?

BM: Of course, it depends on the size of the painting and the subject. For a painting such as “Supremacy” I think I spent about 5 or 6 days actually painting it, but before I ever picked up a paintbrush, there were several weeks in researching, creating layout sketches, testing colors, etc….

th:  Your animal pieces are greatly tied into the environment; does the current environmental debates and “Go Green” movement affect your paintings at all?

BM: I firmly believe that we have a responsibility to take care of our planet, and all of its inhabitants! I fully support the efforts of many of the organizations who work to preserve and protect the natural habitats of these beautiful animals, and frequently, I donate a painting, or the proceeds from a painting to some of these organizations to help their efforts in whatever way that I can.

I think that as an artist, it is my responsibility to try to capture the beauty of these animals on canvas, to be preserved for future generations. One day, some of these animals may no longer be around to enjoy, and paintings and photos may be all that remains of them. A sad thought, to be sure, but that is why every painting that I do is not only artistically pleasing, but it MUST also be technically accurate.

To learn more about Bill Muck and his artwork visit www.billmuck.com.