Fine Art Tuesday

 

Tad Retz was born in 1996 and currently resides in Syracuse, New York.

He started his professional career immediately after graduating from high school in 2015.

I reached out to him and asked permission to post his art. He agreed.

When I told him that many of my readers are apt to be curious about his (obviously) intense love of the outdoors, he responded:

I think just being raised with some property and the ability to go do things out on the property like hike, bike, ski. Growing up doing these things then making friends that do the same things has made me really feel enjoyment, peace, excitement when I'm out in nature. I think this is why I like painting it. I am pretty much either painting in the outdoors, exploring in some way the outdoors, or painting from inspiration of my experiences outdoors while in my studio. 

Retz also noted that the act of painting and creating energizes him.

Then I asked him a question about his technical expertise, "Have you spent more than 10,000 hours painting? And if yes, when did you hit that number?" As many of you may realize, 10k hours is frequently mentioned as a benchmark required to attain mastery of a skill like playing a musical instrument and, I assume, painting.

I think it takes a very specific kind of personality and work ethic to work through the ups and downs to become a good artist in reasonable time. You also need the right home/work environment with people on your side but also pushing you to get better fast. I was/am fortunate to have an older brother in the art industry who pointed me in the right direction after high school and have since had great mentors who have done the same. I must have hit the 10,000 hr mark around 2020.  

I must second his comments about work ethic and personality. When I go to the gym I see that most people are working pretty hard on the cardio machine but only about 20% are really "working" on the weights. Most of the people are taking selfies with the equipment as background and flirting with patrons of the other sex.  Very few people are hitting the free-weights...maybe because they are not photogenic.

The best way to keep an eye on what Mr Retz has for sale is to frequent his website. He is exceptionally productive and new art shows up on a regular basis. Also, his prices are very reasonable.