No Place Like Home – Barn Owl

Vincent Bihn iI

I’ve always loved nature and wildlife. I have also always been pretty good at art. When I was 12 my parents bought me a Robert Bateman art book. Seeing the way he painted wildlife really inspired me. Robert Bateman and Andrew Wyeth are my two biggest influences.

I started to paint seriously when I was 22. I’m a self taught artist. I had a good local following and my art was sold in a couple different galleries. Then I had to stop when I was 32. I had kids and we weren’t making ends meet with me just selling my art. Now my kids are 21 and 15 and I have gotten back into painting.

I work mostly in acrylics. I paint on untempered Masonite board painted in gesso. Although my work is somewhat detailed as I work in a realism style, the detail is not my priority. I’m much more concerned about how the painting makes one feel, the atmosphere of the painting, and the composition. When painting I work very loose at first, then I tighten things up as the piece progresses. I paint most of the painting in light washes, almost like water color. Then I paint slightly thicker paint over it for the detail. I try to get the look of detail without having to paint every single hair.

If my paintings bring people joy, then I’m happy.