Rod Chase.....이태리 풍경 / 아크릴화

        The Mists of Morning
Rod Chase • Acrylic                              Evening in Venice
Rod Chase • Acrylic                     Winter's Eve (Original)
Rod Chase • Oil   
                        The Glory of San Pietro
Rod Chase • Acrylic                             The Grand Lady
Rod Chase • Acrylic                           City Lights
Rod Chase • Acrylic                          Old Glory
Rod Chase • Acrylic   
                       

Rod Chase

Rod Chase is known to his collectors for producing photo-realism at its finest. This talented artist takes hundreds of photographs of each of his subjects, combining them with historical photographs, to produce a timeless quality in each of his works.

"Being a photo-realist, I am dependent on finding accurate reference material for each painting," the artist explains. Chase works with acrylics on canvas, spending hundreds of hours on each painting as he strives to present a fresh and unique view to familiar subjects.
Known for his breathtaking scenes depicting our country's natural and historical treasures, Chase felt honored as well as professionally challenged to paint our nation's capital. Over the course of several trips to Washington, D.C., he spent weeks visiting the district's famous landmarks, including The White House, the Capitol, and the Supreme Court building. Rising very early each day, Chase photographed the dramatic light of sunrise, and late in the day he revisited several sites to capture the soft, moody glow of twilight. Between sessions, he researched old photos at the National Archives and the Library of Congress.
Chase will continue to create dramatic, awe-inspiring scenes of Washington and other national landmarks for his collectors by combining antique and modern photography with just the right touch of artistic license.
This native Canadian lives with his wife in her home state of Texas. Together they have five children. In 1999, Rod became a U.S. citizen. Chase credits his wife for picking up where his parents left off in encouraging his career every step of the way. “She tells me to do what I need to do, and she always creates an environment with the home and the kids that makes it very easy for me to work.” Currently, Chase is working on other images of American landmarks, such as New York City’s Central Park.

Each painting begins by producing several monochromatic color studies on illustration board. While the painting is based on a single black and white photo, hundreds of additional digital photographs are used to help determine composition and create additional detail. Next, the image is carefully drawn on the canvas using both grids and freehand techniques.

Using the photos as reference, I divide the painting into small sections, bringing each area to a finish before proceeding to the next. The acrylic paint is applied in thin layers so as to leave no visible brushstrokes. Occasionally, I use an Iwata airbrush to soften the sky. As I advance, changes are made from the original photo, i.e., objects are moved, values altered, and detail added; thus producing a work that is superior to the photo. Each painting usually takes two months of full time work to complete. It is not necessarily a photographic quality I'm after but rather reality as viewed through a window.

Born in 1965 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Rod was one of three children to Ukrainian parents. With a religious German Mennonite household, his father was a homebuilder and his mother a homemaker. “I credit my parents for instilling in me a good discipline and a hard work ethic,” he says. “Growing up I would be praised for my artwork which made me want to try harder. I would always ask my mother to draw for me instead of reading me books.