A HIGHLY INFORMATIVE ONLINE MAGAZINE DEDICATED TO THE ARTIST AND THE ART LOVER
If you like this site then Recommend It!
A HIGHLY INFORMATIVE ONLINE MAGAZINE DEDICATED TO THE ARTIST AND THE ART LOVERIf you like this site then Recommend It!
ART TALKS
Arnold Desmarais: An artist with a passion for the sea, his work evokes images of warm summer days, evocative nights and lustrous evening skies that whisper memories to the heart.
I enjoy all subject matter, including still life and portraiture, but I always return to the sea.
those early summer days and the insouciant hours spent by the water, can be seen in the idyllic settings of much of his current art. The sea is not a threatening or foreboding place to him, but rather a place to visit and reflect and draw inspiration.
Arnold DesmaraisCape artist Arnold Desmarais says his fascination with the water and sailing boats had its genesis early when, as a young boy, he vacationed with his family at their Block Island home in Rhode Island. “The memories of early morning fog giving way to bright summer beach days,” he says, gave him “a chance to see and enjoy life in a way that has never been afforded me since.” It is these distant but lasting memories that fuel much of what Arnold Desmarais depicts in his art today. “I enjoy all subject matter, including still life and portraiture,” he says, “but I always return to the sea. Marine art is truly my passion.”
But it wasn’t always this way. Like fine wine, this artist’s appreciation for the subject matter for which he is most identified matured with age. The indelible influence of
The early years:
As a young boy Desmarais displayed a flair for art and was encouraged by his parents, grandparents and one Catholic teacher, in particular, Sister Cecil Henry of St. Cecelia’s School in Pawtucket, to enter a statewide art contest. “I did a marine pastel that my father kept for years,” he said, adding “I still have the painting.” He not only won First Place in the contest, he says, but five of the First Place awards, including a First Place for a shadowbox of a flower arrangement - a talent he acquired while working for a local flower shop. At an early age Desmarais displayed a happy talent for art.
By 12-years of age, he enrolled Saturdays at the Rhode Island School of Design. Unfortunately for Desmarais, the school was undergoing its avant-garde period, a style Desmarais found of little interest. So, while he went through the perfunctory lessons at school, and was regarded highly by his teachers who placed in him in classes above his grade to inspire him to continue, at home he worked on more traditional subject matter and mediums he enjoyed most: pastels, charcoal, pencil, but never watercolor or oil, those came later, much later.
college by working in the design department of Swank, Inc. in Attleboro, Massachusetts.’ he says. “Swank was expanding their business into ladies jewelry, and since I had been designing women’s jewelry for their industrial division they offered me the opportunity to assist the head of the design department, Clarence Marer, for their new division.” His friendship with Marer continues to this day.
"Light So Fair", 11"x14", © by Arnold DesmaraisYou would think that with such a propitious start, a young Desmarais would naturally follow his talents and continue painting in high school, but that was not the case. “During high school my art was totally dormant. About the closest he came to art was when he “worked for my grandfather at a jewelry company. I did hand engraving for him,” but that was the extent of his artistic endeavors. A career emerges:
It was while working his way through Bryant College that his interest in art was rekindled. “I put myself through
Because his boss at the time, Jackie Gordon, “insisted that all designs be presented in watercolor” he had to “relearn everything very quickly to survive.” He read whatever he could find about watercolor painting.
Desmarais at 26-years old was on the move. He was promoted to the position of vice president of design and merchandising, and was well on his way to a successful career in jewelry design. His talent as an artists also grew while at Swank, a company he remained with for seventeen years. It was during this period, the early seventies, that Desmarais says he began to think seriously about art as a career. With his busy work schedule, however, he had little time to pursue his artistic interests separate from his job. His design capabilities and watercolor renderings that he perfected evenings earned him recognition in the industry and a new job offer in 1987 as Vice President of Merchandising and Design at the Franklin Mint. By 1991, while still at Franklin, Desmarais attracted the interest of Liz Claiborne, who interviewed and hired him personally. It was an interesting and busy period of his life, he recalls. It was also an exciting period when he worked with leading names in the fashion industry: Pierre Cardin, Anne Klein, Givenchi, Liz Claiborne, Bill Blass and Erté to name a few.
An interest rekindled:
Since the early seventies when he began to familiarize himself again with watercolor, Desmarais sensed a sea change was occurring in his life personally. His interest in painting wasn’t secondary to his job any longer, it was transforming him and altering his focus on career. “I always postponed the decision to paint,” he says, “because I was always so busy working and traveling.”
But if his travels took him away from home and his studio, they also presented him with an opportunity to gather inspiration from the museums and galleries he viewed when overseas. “During these years,” he says, “I’d dust off the brushes and paint wildlife. I loved doing intricate studies of birds and wild animals.” As for his travels, he says he made sure that his “itinerary always included some new place to see art at its best.”
Others enjoyed his work as well. His wildlife watercolors sold well and in time his work was noticed by a gallery in Maine. Then, ten years ago while visiting galleries on Nantucket he saw the work of Donald Jurney. “I returned home, committed to the single thought of painting in oil.” He has been painting in oil ever since, only recently returning to watercolor for diversion. And something else, the memories buried deep inside of his love of the sea emerged and were nurtured while living on the Cape.
"That Moment When", 24"x36", © by Arnold DesmaraisDetermined to devout more time to painting what he loved most: depictions of sailing boats navigating inland waters and shores, or just resting in moody inlets, Desmarais attracted the interest of Cape artist Marieluise Hutchinson, whom he describes as his mentor and friend. “We met while I was helping her get donations for Hospice,” he says. “She saw my work and encouraged me to continue.” She did more, too. She provided Desmarais with the opportunity to share a show and display his work on the Cape for the first time. “She suggested to the Heritage Plantation that we do a two person show when she was offered the show by herself. Beyond anyone else she has inspired me to keep pushing my boundaries.” After over twenty years dividing his time between art and work Desmarais now devotes himself almost exclusively to his art. In January 2002, he relinquished his ownership in a jewelry manufacturing company in Rhode Island. “I still maintain my position as executive vice presidents and still work with my former clients,” he says, but “the success I’ve enjoyed over the past few years as an artists has encouraged me to paint full time.”
Desmarais today:
Today, Arnold Desmarais is in galleries in Florida, Maine and the lower Cape. His work is in demand and his following is growing. He divides his work between maintaining his contacts in business, teaching and painting. An artist with a passion for the sea, the bulk of his work evokes images of warm summer days, evocative nights and lustrous evening skies that whisper memories to the heart. That Moment in Time, for example, “is a recurring theme,” he says, “which I adore, returning home after a great day.” Desmarais says he likes to capture “the story of arrival and departure within the painting.” It captures, he says, “an exact moment when the sun hits the horizon; hence, the title.”
It can be said that finally, Desmarais has achieved the status he at one time could only hope for: he is a recognized gallery artist, teacher and mentor, and example to others who would like to follow in his footsteps.
Visit Mr. Desmarais' web page.
Previous ART TALKS Current ART TALKS
LINKS
Site Map What's New Search
Please visit our Sponsors who help support the fine arts by supporting The Artistic Forum!
Copyrighted @ January 1, 1999 The Artistic Forum. All rights reserved. Reproductions in whole or part in any form or medium without express written permission of The Artistic Forum and or its parent Winstanley-Roark Fine Arts is prohibited. Winstanley-Roark Fine Arts, Winstanley-Roark Fine Arts logo, The Artistic Forum and The Artistic Forum logo, The Artistic Forum Web site, Masterfulart Digital Postcards, Masterfulart Digital Postcards logo, and all related titles are copyrighted & owned by the Artistic Forum and WRFAWeb Designs. User Agreement, Disclaimers, Submission, Copyright Information, Privacy Policy. This page is updated monthly and is created by WRFA Web Designs
courtesy of Winstanley-Roark Fine Arts.
