Connect
To Top

Meet Darryl Green

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Darryl Green.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Darryl. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I guess my start as an artist began as a child really because I loved to color. So I was quite often busy with my coloring books. In those days there were ads from art schools at the end of coloring books. I would quite often fill those out and dream of being an artist. But I don’t remember really being exposed to much Art going through school, even all the way up through high school.

As you would have it, I married an artist. But she was immediately a housewife and mother. So she never really had a chance to do much painting at the time. As time went on she suggested that she could make us extra money painting Christmas decorations on the store windows. So I said yes go ahead and do it. When I saw how much money she was making I decided I should help her. I knew she’d be home soon and we would make more money. Consequently as the years went by our children grew up helping us. And we usually made between three and $4000 a week between the times right after Thanksgiving up till just before Christmas.

Eventually, my marriage failed as we see has happened to many other people. But as I went away from that, I realized that art specifically painting was something that I wanted to take away from that experience. I thought that I wanted to become a professional artist. Really that was confirmed earlier in my heart when I took an art class at Grand Canyon University as a senior. But I immediately dismissed that thought because I suspected that it would be hard to make a full-time income as an artist. The term starving artist does not exist for no reason!

I retired early from the post office out in Glendale, Arizona. During that time, I was an amateur painter still learning, still experimenting. I didn’t even know which medium I wanted to paint in. I tried to start with watercolors. That is incredibly difficult for a beginner because every mistake that you make shows. And beginners make lots of mistakes. I went on to try oil painting and pastels. Eventually, I became an acrylic painter. So as a painter the next thing that should be considered is what style am I going to paint in? I knew what I liked as an artist but could I actually paint like my favorite painters? And perhaps just as important should I paint like my favorite painters? Certainly I would not have their level of skill. I don’t draw that well. I should have and could have trained myself to draw well by now, but I haven’t. But imitation was a starting point for me.

And really my journey into art started before that. Before I started painting, I was really into photography. To the point, I developed my own pictures even though digital photography had been invented by this time.

So I started taking art classes here and there. The city of Phoenix Parks and Recreation in the beginning. The Phoenix Art Gallery gave classes which I’ve taken. I went to the Scottsdale artists school for a while. And so I picked up some fundamentals.

Eventually, I stopped painting because of frustration at not being very good at painting. You see even though I had some training, I was still woefully uneducated at my craft. Then I discovered using YouTube for art instruction. That changed everything for me! There artists freely share techniques and everything really that a person needs to know. I found one painter I particularly was fascinated by his work, Gerhard Richter. I don’t know how large his fame has spread. But he’s been painting for more than 50 years. He sells very large paintings for well over $1 million!

I watched a documentary about him on YouTube years ago. And I was inspired to start painting again this time abstract. A style that I had not tried before. So I tried to paint like Richter and I sold my first painting! I continued in his abstract style for a bit. Eventually, I realized that I needed to develop my own style. Really my style is still evolving, but I think now my work is different than anyone else I’ve seen. I combine styles and techniques and methods of painting. But I’m very much still learning. The fact is I’m taking a course right now to improve my work.

I have not really tried much to get into Art Galleries with my paintings. They have all been selling online in this Internet world that we live in. I don’t participate in art festivals either.

To date, my biggest sale is to the Phoenician resort in Phoenix Scottsdale area. They found my work online through an art agent. They wanted to commission me to do a painting for them. I agreed, but they did not like the price I quoted. So instead, they purchased the rights to copy two of my paintings. They had them scanned and then enlarged by 20% then framed. And they hang there in the Phoenician Resort today. Unfortunately, my name is not on either of them because I was still in it’s just a hobby mentality when I painted those paintings. So I did not sign them. Or really think to sign them even after I knew the sale was made. Before everything was completed, I did ask for a signature and the art agent said it would be digital. Apparently, that never happened.

So I encourage people not to spend all their free time watching TV and wasting time. I guarantee you at the end of your life you will not wish that you had watched more TV! I think many will wish that they had more to show for the life that they have spent here.

I believe that It’s never too late to start as an artist. A person can learn everything that they need to know. You will never know if you have the talent or not until you try after some instruction. I was definitely over 50 when I sold my first painting. But I started learning in my 40s. I just kept going, experimenting, and painting.

I have been generous with my art and have given away many paintings because they can be a blessing to people.

I actually wanted to be a professional singer in this life. However, I’ve never really pursued it like I should have. I think time has expired on that dream. I look at my painting as a chance to still be creative and perhaps eventually even be influential.

I think that my paintings will be hanging on people’s walls after I’m gone! I get a little satisfaction out of that, and some money too presently. So I encourage everyone to follow your dreams! If it’s in your heart pursue it! Believe you can do it! Know it may not come easily. But don’t let that stop you!

Has it been a smooth road?
No, it was not smooth. The lack of confidence was a challenge. Finding my medium (what kind of paint to use) was a challenge as well as not being confident in my drawing abilities. The where to sell the paintings? How large should I make paintings? There were a lot of challenges to overcome.

What else should our readers know?
I am just a professional artist that works alone and sells online. My biggest accomplishment so far has been selling two paintings to the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, AZ.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see so much going digital I believe much more artwork will be done on computers in the future. I think that holograms will get to be a thing too.

Contact Info:

Suggest a story: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in