At first glance, artist Joe Dudding seems more like a business executive than a classical realist. Maybe it's the short gray hair, the conservative spectacles and the clean-shaven face of this 65-year-old Shepherdstown painter.
"People are surprised when they discover I'm an artist," Dudding said.
One thing that gives Dudding away is his unusual studio. Five years ago, he converted an old Quaker meeting house into a studio that starving artists could only imagine in their wildest dreams. Between an oak floor and a tongue-and-groove wood ceiling is a collection of eclectic frames, furniture, antiques, a sailboat and, of course, the artist's work hanging on the walls.
Many of the unusual props and decanters scattered throughout the room end up in Dudding's work, bridging the artist and his environment. "I feel like painting every time I come in here," he said.
And paint he does, sometimes spending as much as 12 hours a day in the non air-conditioned studio.
Dudding considers himself a classical realist much like Adolf Bouguereau, a 19th-century painter who has influenced Dudding's figures immensely. According to Dudding, classical realism is characterized by a dark background and an arrangement of rich colors and subjects.
He focuses on portraits, still lifes and landscapes in a style that uses the under-painting of several layers to add depth, substance and age to his work.
Forty years' experience
As a full-time professional artist, Dudding has 40 years of painting experience under his belt, including professional training at the Baum School of Art in Allentown and a portrait apprenticeship with Washington, D.C., artist Ken Marlow.
He takes his time with each painting and usually completes one piece a month. He believes he has achieved his status with a combination of artistic adroitness and savvy marketing skills.
"Being able to market yourself and your work is the element that determines whether an artist will be successful or not," said Dudding.
According to Dudding, most artists don't know anything about marketing, and if they do, it's viewed as a distraction to the creative process. "You need to spend at least two days a week marketing yourself, and that takes you away from the art."
In his opinion, the best way for artists to market themselves is to pound the pavement. This involves carting paintings to galleries and shows and the possibility of facing immediate rejection.
Not only is this approach hard on the artist's soul and confidence, it also causes wear and tear on the art. Canvases and frames are very fragile materials and are hard to maintain when they are lugged around.
It's who you know
Many galleries require the artist be recommended or juried in from an arts association; especially well-known galleries which will only represent the work if it promises a good monetary return. So, as in any other business, it's who you know.
"You have to do a lot of schmoozing," Dudding said.
Dudding goes to every show he can to network with other artists and gallery owners. His open personality has served him well, making him accessible not only as an artist but as a human being.
At the annual Victorian Arts Festival in Carlisle, he met artist Nancy Stamm, who organizes this event. "He drove up with a station wagon filled with his art, and I loved his stuff right away. A few months later I saw Joe's work at an exhibit and knew right away it was his. He has a very distinct style," said Nancy Stamm.
It was through Stamm that Charlie Andrews, owner of the Garden Gallery in Carlisle, learned about Dudding. Currently Dudding has four paintings in the Garden Gallery ranging in price from $450 to $1,450. At the top of the price range is a piece entitled, "Popover and Friend," which Andrews describes as a genre piece of an old man painting while a dog watches.
"Joe is an artist's artist and very painterly with an impressive range," said Andrews.
Typically the price of art is set by the artist, and gallery owners will tack on their commission before it goes on the market. Andrews said he can make up to a 50 percent commission on any sale in his gallery. The commission usually varies from artist to artist, but is rarely less than 30 percent.
Besides the monetary gain, it's also in the artist's best interest to get his name out into the community via the gallery circuit.
"The only thing better than getting into a gallery is being owned and on someone's wall. If you spend $1,000 on a painting, chances are you're going to show it to your friends, and that's the best kind of networking for an artist," said Andrews.
On display in Washington
During his time in Washington, Dudding connected with the Mickelson Gallery, Seventh and G streets, where his work is currently on display until Sept. 23 as part of a four-person show. This is the third time he has participated in a show of this magnitude.
"It won't be long before Dudding gets his own solo show. He's a very prolific and desirable painter," says gallery owner Sydney Mickelson.
Dudding made it into the Mickelson Gallery by actively soliciting the gallery group, which must approve all artists before their work can be displayed. Mickelson praised Dudding for keeping the cost of his art down and not killing the market.
"When artists get very popular they tend to raise their prices. Joe is very reasonable. Sometimes people buy two of his paintings," said Mickelson.
At this show, six of Dudding's paintings range in price from $300 to $1,000. One painting receiving a lot of attention this year is a piece entitled, "Prince Albert's Antique Pipes," priced at $650.
Earning the respect of peers and others in the art community didn't happen overnight for Dudding. The Allentown native recalls how he made the decision to leave his job as an engineer 15 years ago to begin painting on a full-time basis. "If it weren't for my wife's salary, I would have never been able to do this," said Dudding. She works as a child-care provider.
Both Dudding and Andrews agree painting pictures for a living, regardless of style, is a tough business. Dudding said he makes about $25,000 annually from his art.
"You really have to be determined to make it, because only 1 percent of all artists reach the point where it becomes a very lucrative business. I'm not among the 1 percent -- yet," quipped Dudding.
