Back on 2001 or so when I started my love affair with art, like all newbie’s, my thing was drawing a lot in pencil… people, faces and such. Realism is and will always be my first love in art. But like the real “first loves” in our lives most of time they remain in a platonic state (yes, I know, I use the word platonic pretty often in most of my articles, soon I’ll find a synonym… or could it be that I have a platonic love affair with the word platonic…mmm, I don’t now. Whatever.) Where was I? Oh yeah, realism. Well, the thing is that, thinking that realism was my call in art, I contacted many painters and illustrators that could help me honing my skills. Among them one stuck out: David Darrow.



Back then he was trying to move away from illustration into fine art. Personally, I was confused as of where to go with my talents… illustration, cartooning, comic book artist… what? Dave gave me a fantastic advice… fine art amigo. There’s where the money is… the sky is the limit. No contracts or limitations on your creative ideas. That did for me. I said to myself, if this guy who can counterfeit a wonderful Leyendecker, and who has made a wonderful career in illustration, is advising me (and for free, that is) to go into fine art, he should know what he’s talking about. And he did. 

Fine art continues to be everything I was expecting from it. In a few words: I can get away with whatever comes into my mind and  pleases me to put on a canvas, and to top that off, somebody will eventually like it and pay for it! You can’t go wrong with that. I’ve had vacations, paid my rent and had a few money to spare here and there thanks to fine art. 

What makes this story really inspiring is the fact that David not only gives good advice. He walks the talk. By 2002 or so he took a leap of faith and dove into fine art himself.

The result was triumphal. David has become a powerhouse in art. He is one of the smartest cookies on the earth when it comes to art and art marketing. His presence in the web is almost ubiquitous… Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, a gazillion of different sites for several disciplines, plus he’s been successful in branding himself as “Dave the Painting Guy”.  All that, while raising a family, conducting art seminars, keeping up with tons of emails, and broadcasting an online TV show called guess what? You got it: “Dave the Painting Guy”. The guy named David, paints almost daily on and off camera in oil (the officially divine approved medium for all artists as it says in the Bible… so he claims… hey, I didn’t say he was perfect... or sane for that matter.)

Even after so much success, he still managed to have time to, in a fatherly spirit and very compassionately, advice me once more about if I should try my hands into realism one more time. He said: “Don’t. You’re late. You really don’t like it. You’ll suck.” Of course, I’m paraphrasing a long email, but in essence that was it. It was like a punch in the stomach. But for that, I’m again very grateful. I could’ve take it as a challenge, deviated from my present course and ended up being really good at it. I know I can be really good at it. But it made think: “If I become a realist, that might satisfy me very much, I might even get praises from a selected ones… but I’d be another realist painter in the ocean of realist painters... and that I cannot stand.” You see, Dave’s advice as harsh as it was, it was the tough medicine that I needed. It was the right prescription that made me pick up my anchor, lower my sails and continue traveling through the path that I’ve created until know. A path that makes experienced critics ask “What are you? How do you call your stuff?” That makes me feel unique. It validates for me that until know I’ve walked off the beaten path creating an eluding uniqueness that many look for. I could’ve lost that. Dave acted as an art guardian on my behalf and redirect me to what he knew was my solid road. What makes it even more heroic is the fact that my style is not even agreeable with his, yet he’s an illustrator, he understands about creativity, but what I do is foreign to him. He’s not Puerto Rican, he doesn’t know about jíbaros or cuatros or anything like that. What he knew was that, what I have, and what I have created so far, is real and not to be abandoned for (again) a platonic idea. It takes wisdom and seriousness of mind to do something like that.

In one occasion I acted in a childish manner and complained to him about a miniscule misunderstanding that occurred during one of his TV broadcasts. We “talked it over” through a few emails. I was wrong, he was right. He could write me off and yet he took the time to explain details about the show that I was unaware of. He accepted my apologies and we moved forward. He called me a friend even though we’ve never met.

Many people have asked me where they can go to learn how to paint. I know they’re referring to the traditional method of painting. Among the many resources I point them to is “Dave the Painting Guy” broadcasts. I hope they’re taking my advice as I took his.

Thank you Dave. Mi amigo. The Caring Guy.