S16E02 Eric Rhoads
- 6 years ago
Eric Rhoads is driven to help people learn to paint. Because painting changed his life he has a goal to teach a million people to paint because painting brings joy into your life, reduces stress, makes you happier, and it taps into your creative side.
Eric’s story is pretty amazing. Other than coloring and painting sloppy pictures in grade school Eric had not painting experience and he had zero talent. He could not even draw a stick figure.
In his late thirties Eric thought it would be fun to learn to paint but he did not really believe he had what it takes. At the time he believed painters doing beautiful pictures had some form of natural gift or natural talent. He later proved that was wrong.
Eric Rhoads went to an art store and bought some paints, tried to copy some pictures and had bad luck, got frustrated and quit. But his observant wife thought maybe some lessons would help so she gave him lessons for his 40th birthday.
That did not work out too well. The teacher wanted Eric to express himself and throw paint on the canvas, which did not excite him. He wanted to learn to paint a flower or a vase or a landscape or a person. He was told “no one does that anymore.” So, he quit.
By luck a year later Eric met a taxi driver who told him about an instructor with an impressive training background. Intimidated, Eric thought about it for a year before showing up, and when he did, he turned around and walked about because of all the great work the students were doing. “They must have natural talent,” he thought, “I can’t do this”. Fortunately the instructor, Jack Jackson, saw him, and encouraged him to stay. He told Eric that he had a system the old masters used that no one used for teaching anymore and that he could turn Eric into a painter fast. So, Eric stayed.
In just a week Eric had produced his first beautiful painting and soon he was painting some impressive paintings of people and landscapes.
Though Eric did not know much about art and did not grow up going to museums, this instructor and learning to paint opened his eyes to art. As a result, Eric not only became and artist, he took his skills as a magazine publisher and started his first art magazine and then another.
Today Eric Rhoads is the publisher of PleinAir, Fine Art Connoisseur, Artists On Art, Fine Art Today and Plein Air Today. Plus he is the producer of the Plein Air Convention and the Figurative Art Convention, and he is very involved in the art world. He also produces art instruction videos because of his passion to teach others to paint or to grow as painters. And Eric teaches marketing for artists so they can learn to sell their art.
Eric’s story is pretty amazing. Other than coloring and painting sloppy pictures in grade school Eric had not painting experience and he had zero talent. He could not even draw a stick figure.
In his late thirties Eric thought it would be fun to learn to paint but he did not really believe he had what it takes. At the time he believed painters doing beautiful pictures had some form of natural gift or natural talent. He later proved that was wrong.
Eric Rhoads went to an art store and bought some paints, tried to copy some pictures and had bad luck, got frustrated and quit. But his observant wife thought maybe some lessons would help so she gave him lessons for his 40th birthday.
That did not work out too well. The teacher wanted Eric to express himself and throw paint on the canvas, which did not excite him. He wanted to learn to paint a flower or a vase or a landscape or a person. He was told “no one does that anymore.” So, he quit.
By luck a year later Eric met a taxi driver who told him about an instructor with an impressive training background. Intimidated, Eric thought about it for a year before showing up, and when he did, he turned around and walked about because of all the great work the students were doing. “They must have natural talent,” he thought, “I can’t do this”. Fortunately the instructor, Jack Jackson, saw him, and encouraged him to stay. He told Eric that he had a system the old masters used that no one used for teaching anymore and that he could turn Eric into a painter fast. So, Eric stayed.
In just a week Eric had produced his first beautiful painting and soon he was painting some impressive paintings of people and landscapes.
Though Eric did not know much about art and did not grow up going to museums, this instructor and learning to paint opened his eyes to art. As a result, Eric not only became and artist, he took his skills as a magazine publisher and started his first art magazine and then another.
Today Eric Rhoads is the publisher of PleinAir, Fine Art Connoisseur, Artists On Art, Fine Art Today and Plein Air Today. Plus he is the producer of the Plein Air Convention and the Figurative Art Convention, and he is very involved in the art world. He also produces art instruction videos because of his passion to teach others to paint or to grow as painters. And Eric teaches marketing for artists so they can learn to sell their art.