Today we’d like to introduce you to TJ Cunningham.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
From my earliest memories I have always explored the world through drawing painting and sculpting. I don’t remember ever thinking of myself as an artist until my high school years. Then, when I was 17, the owner of a restaurant where I washed dishes invited me to put a recently completed sculpture of a Tyrannosaurus rex on display. We put it next to the cash register and within a day it sold for $100! In all of my teenage wisdom I concluded that if I was able to sell artwork before any training surely, I could make a living if I studied art in college.
That conclusion leads me to study commercial art at Pensacola Christian College. It was there that I discovered oil paint which I will always remember as a “love at first sight” experience. I graduated in 2010 and had my first art show that summer. I sold enough paintings to justify a full time pursuit of a fine art career. Since then, I have painted full time creating portraits, landscapes and still life work for galleries and art shows.
Please tell us about your art.
I spend most of my time painting the landscape in oils. I would describe style as an impressionism.
I really like the feeling I get when I listen to James Taylor sing “Carolina in My Mind” or “Copperline”. It’s a happy-kind of longing. That’s the feeling I am trying to capture in most of my landscape paintings. For me, it’s about finding a balance between technical execution and feeling.
We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
Early on in my career I discovered that artists tend to be a warm and inviting group of people. I make a point of connecting with other artists to share ideas, critique each other’s work and paint together. Almost everyone is on some form of social media so it’s easy to find out where my fellow artists are.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
The best and most up to date way to keep track of my work is through my website, cunninghamfineart.com.
Contact Info:
- Address: 110 Chestnut CT, Crossville, TN 38555
- Website: cunninghamfineart.com
- Phone: 8023493831
- Email: info@cunninghamfineart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tj.cunningham/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CunninghamFineArt/
Image Credit:
TJ Cunningham
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