Spotlight Interview with Robert Lemler, respected Artist and Instructor from Arizona
Today we sit down with Robert Lemler, a respected and dedicated artist and teacher from Arizona.
In addition to his work as an artist, Robert is also a sought-after teacher who has taught painting and drawing classes in oil, pastel and charcoal for more than two decades. His award-winning paintings have been exhibited in fine art galleries throughout the country and are included in numerous corporate and private collections.
Robert is teaching a three-day workshop at Workshop SLC on August 13-15, 2021 about the general principles of painting the figurative subject. You can purchase a ticket on our website here.
Robert, thanks for sitting down with us!
Thank you for having me, I’m looking forward to coming to Salt Lake City in September.
Robert, how did you first get into painting? Have you always wanted to be an artist?
I did a lot of drawing as a child, as most children do. I was particularly good at the sort of drawing that children do and it was suggested that I take summer art classes following the fourth year of elementary school. I continued to draw when the other kids lost interest in it. I copied the cartooning work of Rick Griffin who illustrated the editorial content in the early publications of “Surfer” magazine. Rick Griffin is an iconic artist, known as one of best psychedelic poster artists of the counter culture era of the 60’s and early 70’s. He is also known for his work for “Zap Comics.“
At the age of about 13, I began taking some oil painting classes with a local artist. A couple of years later my high school art teacher suggested I enter a scholastic art competition sponsored by the Phoenix Illustrator Group. I won the the competition and was awarded a full scholarship to the “Famous Artist’s School , a correspondence art course of quality. The assignments were critiqued by some of the best know artists of the day, including Robert Fawcett, Ben Stahl and Norman Rockwell. I still have the large course books.
You began teaching art in 2008, and I’ve read you first learned to paint through trial and error. Can you talk about how you came to learn art yourself?
I started oil painting around the year 2000. Since I did not have any formal art training, I took quite a few painting workshops, and did a lot of practice.
You studied at Northern Arizona University. Can you tell us what role your education plays in your work today?
Northern Arizona University offered me the opportunity to get a liberal arts education, which is valuable to anyone. Unfortunately, the fine art department was, like many other university art programs, enamored with “modern art.”
I spent a lot of time in the life drawing studios, mostly teaching myself to draw. I also took many art history classes, which broadened my appreciation. Several years later, I found myself in Phoenix, where I took workshops at the Scottsdale Artists’ School. I had the opportunity to study briefly with many good painters including David Laffel, Richard Schmid, George Carlson, Bettina Steinke, Ned Jacob, Len Chmiel, Zhang WenXin, Michael Lynch, Harley Brown, Scotts Burdick, and others.
You’ve been a signature member of the Plein-Air Painters of America since 2014. Do you think that has helped you as a painter and in your career? In what ways?
My relationship to many of the members of the Plein Air Painters of America goes back a long time. While my primary interest has always been in the figurative subject, I had always wanted to paint every subject well, including the landscape. Most of my closest artist friends are landscape painters. Exhibiting with the members of the Plein Air Painters Of America has certainly made me a better painter and has raised my exposure as well.
Which artwork would you say is your favorite? When people view this artwork, what do you want them to experience and think about?
Of course, my answer would be subjective. Every painting is a different experience. Some I may like because they evoke the time in which they were created. Others for technical qualities. While I have many alla prima figure studies which I like, my personal favorite is a landscape, a snow covered mountain vista, painted in the studio from a photograph which I took while powder skiing. The design is spare and graphic and I hope it evokes a powerful sense of space and grandeur.
We always like to ask artists about their studio space. Can you tell us about your creative space and what inspires you to paint?
My current studio space is not ideal and limits to some degree the size of my work. I live alone and use much of my home as my studio. I paint in the front room of my home. I have north facing windows and enough space to work with models. Of course, my home is full of inspiring paintings traded with my artist friends. I have traded works with David Shevlino, Scott Burdick, Michael Lynch, Matt Smith, Skip Whitcomb, Logan Hegege, Ned Jacob, Ray Roberts, Peggi Kroll, Jesse Powell, Josh Elliott, Kevin MacPherson, and others.
Your work has been exhibited in fine art galleries and various esteemed venues throughout the country. What memorable responses have you had to your work?
The best response is a sale! Not because of the money, but because that individual appreciates the painting enough to want to have it in their home. That is the best compliment an artist can hope for. A recent response from an individual who had purchased a painting of a young boy with a boogie board, waist deep in the surf, was that the painting reminded her of days spent at the beach when her son was young. Nice!
What is your creative process like? Is there a connection between your message and the way you make your art?
My creative process is something like this… Sometimes I don’t feel like painting, but if I just squeeze out the paint and pick up the brush, that feeling will give way to the problems to be solved on canvas. Painting is such an engaging process. When I lose focus, I stop.
Beauty is the only message.
What advice would you give yourself earlier on in your career? What do you think your younger self will say if he can see where you are now?
Life is short. Work hard, be happy and don’t dwell on the past. Good advice for anyone I think!
We love your work and can’t wait to see what’s next for you. Is there something you hope to accomplish in the next few years?
I hope to paint better paintings of course!
Robert, thank you so much for your time today. We can’t wait for your upcoming workshop and for the many we hope to have in the future with you!