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The International artist Theodore Zimmerman is the President of the SOCIETY OF ARTS ACADEMY. which is an Academy for the promotion of artistic excellence through the Online Exhibition of works by famous International Painters, Sculptors & Potters, CLICK FOR LIST OF ARTISTS.
Theo. said: " I want to create a painting or drawing, that, when anyone views one of my paintings from across a room, that person will immediately know that the artist Theodore Zimmerman painted it."
Only one thing mattered in Theo's life apart from his family was his need to paint. He said, "Our life on earth is limited to a very short space of time and no one knows how long it will be, so within this unknown and limited time I must paint at every possible moment. To be able to see, smell and touch the beauty of nature and explore the subtle variations of sunlight, tone and colour, is my main reason for painting in the open air, en plein air". How can any artist paint the beautiful colours seen in nature when one paints only in the studio under artificial lighting.
It was at the age of seven years old when he started to paint regularly, making drawings of his family and the local views surrounding where he lived. His interest in painting expanded, even at school he would read everything and anything to do with art and the Impressionists. J. M. W. Turner was an inspiration to him as was the French artist Claude Monet. With this early passion for art, he studied during every possible moment, constantly travelling to art galleries, sales and exhibitions in London. He decided to broaden his knowledge and travelled to Paris to study art. During this period he painted views all over Paris and on the river Seine as well as studying the works and methods of the French Impressionists. Many of his best landscapes and beach scenes were painted during his travels to the beautiful beaches of Northern France, Le Touquet, Trouville, Normandy and Brittany.
Theo's first sale of a painting at a early age was sold for the sum of five pounds to a lady in Jersey. He had been busy painting a stormy beach scene one day and was being observed by an interested party. When he had completed the sketch she asked him if she could buy it. He replied, " I would not accept a penny less than five pounds for it as I do not really want to sell. " The lady then asked him why he charged so much for just a small sketch, to this comment he replied, "I know that the painting has quality and merit and as I have travelled three hundred and fifty miles and also that one day I shall become a famous artist, then the five pounds I am asking for it seems a fair price". The lady laughed and bought the drawing, and within a few minutes returned with her husband and two friends and commissioned another painting of her cottage at the same price. Her friends also purchased two sketches selected from the artist's drawing book of views. The lady then asked him if he would sign the painting, the artist thought for a moment and then signed Theodore Zimmerman. In the artists' own words, quote; "Any painting an artist paints is created from the very essence of the mind, body and immortal soul. My life and my whole existence becomes part of every painting, which I create throughout my life. An artist who paints with love, passion and feeling for his art as I do must find that any sale of a painting is a great loss. For any artist who paints without these things is not to paint at all. "
When asked by a friend a few years later, if he'd always signed his works, he replied, " I sign all my paintings to satisfy the buyer or collectors whim that a signed painting is deemed to be more valuable than an unsigned one. An artist work should be sufficient as every mark and every line becomes a signature in itself."
Paintings of scenes of Paris where he studied 'Impressionism', also scenes of Montmartre, Montparnasse and along the river Seine. The important beach paintings using his beloved pastels medium at Le Touquet, Fecamp, Pourville, Dieppe and Trouville where he stayed for a while to paint the beautiful sublime beach scenes of a summers day, or the stark, windy, empty beaches and rough seas of winter. Other important works of this early period include paintings of the beaches on the coast of Brittany and Normandy. Advice he offered to an interested amateur artist was quote: "Find a view you like, and then spend a few minutes of your time just looking at the scene. Choose only a small number of colours to use, what to include in your painting and finally what to leave out. It's important to keep things as simple as possible and paint just an impression of what you see. Many of my works are almost completed from memory without ever having to look at the scene again, and by this method I leave out all unnecessary details."
Further important information of his life, time and travels on the beaches of France, Europe and in the U.K., together with his own personal stories and experiences as a painter with many memorable scenes of Parisian families on holiday with their children playing on the rocky or sandy beaches and enjoying themselves with their friends or paddling in the sea will be shown on this site when available. Throughout his artistic career, he painted beautiful works of art, thereby immortalizing the scene for ever. His love of the pastels medium was most evident, as over 90% of his beach & landscape drawings were completed using the medium, together with a small number of watercolours and oils. He rejected the use of oil paints as a painting medium for outside works, saying. "I find oils very messy and inconvenient when painting 'en plein air' and I much prefer my pastels, pencils or watercolours. I do use oil paints occasionally, but only in my studio. I try to keep my drawing materials to the barest minimum and as light as possible, so I can move quickly and at any given moment when I see a scene or effect of nature that I need to paint. I have observed amateur and even professional artists carrying easels, seats, large boxes of oil paints, huge canvasses, brushes and numerous other items of unnecessary equipment, completely exhausted before they find a suitable view to paint. Then they spend more valuable time and effort setting up their easel, laying out their paints before finally putting a brush to canvas. During all this wasted time I could have finished a drawing and then moved on to another place and started on my next painting. '' Theo. would be seen in all kinds of weather, on a beach, in the countryside, or by a river, with just a box of pastels and colour pencils in his jacket pocket, and in a small shoulder bag or case, he kept his spare drawing paper, camera, a damp rag to clean his hands.
Theo. said, "During my painting trips I must admit to being somewhat of a loner, and I prefer it that way because of the concentration required for my drawings. However, if anyone is passing by and stops to watch me paint and then wants to bring me into a conversation regarding my work, I will stop for a short time to talk about the scene and what I am trying to capture with my beloved pastels. On occasions, if they show good artistic thought and a desire to draw, I have offered pencil and paper so they could also record the scene with an offer of my help and advice along the way. I have often been asked the question, "Why do you paint on such a small scale?." To this question Theo. replied. "My pastels drawings are always on a small scale when working 'en plein air', as I need to work quickly to capture nature at any moment in time, and when I see people and children walking along a beach, they appear very small in relation to the scene before me. To be able to draw on paper and record the heavy seas on stormy days with dark clouds scuttling across the sky, or a calm sea or busy beach on a beautiful summer's day is a wonderful experience. I prefer to use a smooth tinted or cream sketching paper in pad form, which is ideal for my pastel or watercolor use and one which fits easily into my jacket pocket. Also I use a fixing medium to avoid messing up my drawings when moving about from place to place." Occasionally, Theo. would go down to a beach after dark to paint the lonely but poetical scene in moonlight. These moonlight drawings are very rare and equally important as his daytime works in his quest to capture nature in all it's forms.
The Channel Islands, are special places for any artist to visit and marvel at the many beautiful beaches and lovely countryside, with fields and woods full of flowers at springtime. A specialty of the artist when visiting the Channel Islands was to set out early in the morning to experience and record in pastels, the splendid sunrises and in the evenings the superb and colourful sunsets. Ever since his first visit to the area as a schoolboy, and over a lifetime as an artist, he would return many times and create pastel drawings of the wonderful sandy beaches and picturesque scenery. His works include views of the popular tourist areas, but also, Theo. would always prefer to make drawings of the smaller and little known and difficult to get to beaches and coves, with their rocky outcrops and steep cliffs of Jersey, Guernsey, Sark, Herm, Alderney, Brecqhou and Jethou.
Throughout a lifetime of painting, he would start early in the morning and continue until quite late in the evening, remaining oblivious to anything or anyone who wished to distract him from his work. Over the years, Theo. was content to freely give away his paintings to close family and friends, but during his later retirement years, passionately refusing to sell his works to anyone he did not approve of or for personal monetary gain. Saying to the public and art collectors, quote: "My paintings are a personal record of the places I have visited and of the cherished memories and experiences of my life as a working artist. I loath selling any of my drawings as I value even the smallest sketch beyond price. My love of art and for my family, are the important parts of my life and time on this wonderful and beautiful planet."
All information and details of his life and paintings are with the permission of his family.
In recent years, examples of his work in pastels have been bought by the London Art Galleries and sold at the International Fine Art Auctions in the U.K., Europe, U.S.A. and Canada, where they have been well received by the art establishment and the general public.
Alberto Giacometti working in his studio. Montparnasse. Paris.
Theo. visited the studio of artist Alberto Giacometti in Montparnasse, Paris where Alberto said that the drawings in his portfolio were quote, "pièces exceptionelles de l'art". Theo. made drawings of Alberto and Annette Giacometti during his time in Paris.
Pastel drawings of life in Montmartre and Montparnasse, where he would sketch the local people and his friends in the artist quarters, and importantly, the unusual but interesting, 'People of the night'. These rare drawings completed usually on a sheet of music or writing paper of the hidden night life of Paris are in high demand from collectors from Europe and America.
Figure & Portrait drawings.
'People of the night' drawings from Montparnasse. Paris.
The artists works, have a stylized and spiritual feeling about them, as Theo. captures the aura and ambiance of the eternal spirit of people in a portrait or figure drawing. The normal visual representation of a person in a photograph or portrait is obsolete, because the body changes every day as we journey through the aging process. I try to create in my paintings the aura and ambiance of the eternal spirit, which is with you throughout your lifetime." The artist's answer to an American onlooker who was watching him work and had remarked that his painting was missing many details, was, quote, " If you want an accurate account of what you are looking at, go and find a photographer. However, I'm sure that you have the intelligence to appreciate an original work of art, then you will need an artist to paint it for you." Following this comment, the onlooker purchased the painting for his American Institutions Art collection.
Late self portrait in oils. "The spiritual aura of Theodore Zimmerman."
A unique opportunity for collections to purchase this important late self portrait in oils.
Institutional investment fund purchase.
The artist became obsessed with painting his own spiritual aura, and the 'spiritual auras' of his close family members. These unusual, intense and dramatic works were painted during the latter part of his life, following his own exceptional and personal near death experiences.
The spiritual aura is the term for the energy field that surrounds all living things, it is a energy field which is different for each individual. Human aura as opposed to animal aura, constantly changes when we perceive an event through our senses. This information is given meaning in our human brain by an electro-chemical process, which has an immediate and important effect by sending electrical and chemical information throughout our body on how we feel emotionally, or physically. The electrical information comes from the brain and travels to all parts of the body, thereby creating a coloured magnetic energy which is your own unique personal Spiritual Aura.
The human Aura contains much information about us, including past, present and future important physical ailments. Depending on it's colour, the shade of any particular colour, the general shape of an Aura, it's size, and various colour changes, it can give us the physical information of what has happened during your past and what may happen in the future.
Theo's. paintings in Institutions, Museums, Public and Private Collections are fully signed and inscribed, and most are stamped with the artists 'Studio Atelier stamp.'
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