BradleyClarkArt.com :: Vibrant watercolor paintings of landscapes, gardens and travel scenes for illustration, advertising, book covers and packaging.

Meet the Artist: An Interview with Bradley Clark

How long have you been painting? Where did it all begin?
I am a lucky man. I have been doing what I love—painting professionall—for 30 years. I was born and raised in the small town of Oakley, Idaho. My great grandparents helped settle the area and I feel a special connection to the people and the landscape. With artists on both sides of my family tree, I grew up appreciating big landscapes and gardens. I felt like I was moving to the City of Oz when, following in my grandfather's footsteps, I moved from Idaho to New York after art school. I graduated from the Art Center College of Design in 1980 and married Cynthia Watts—a classmate—in the same weekend, moving immediately to begin our careers in NYC. Four years later we relocated to the Hudson Valley to raise a family. In 2009, we decided it was time to return west. We stayed for almost a half year in Park City and are now settled in beautiful downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.

Do you have a favorite subject for your paintings?
I developed a special love of painting plein-air landscapes over 15 years ago. My subjects come from around my home, near the beach in California and the other places I travel. I also take advantage of my backpacking adventures to capture some spectacular scenes from locations such as the Adirondacks and Yosemite. Some of my favorite painting experiences have been during those focused hours spent recording views from amazing places.

My goal while painting outdoors is to capture beauty with an economy of brushwork and with the immediacy of gesture. I often charge my artistic batteries by going on "paint-outs". These outdoor paintings influence my indoor work reminding me to let watercolor be watercolor and balance the controlled and accidental processes that make watercolor unique. I try to keep an update of my plein-air work on my blog.

What experiences have shaped your life?
Wonderful opportunities to travel the Western U. S. and Western Europe and the Northeastern U.S. have influenced my attitudes about life and art. I love New York City. We spent a lot of time in the city on the lookout for Art, Music and cultural events.

I have also had the pleasure of being involved with vocal music performance groups and have performed at Carnegie Hall with Camerata-Chorale. My wife and I have sung with a vocal jazz ensemble called River Jazz. My 14-year involvement with the Rhinebeck-Rheinbach Exchange program, including a 4 year term as president, has been extremely rewarding. This program takes 100 high school music students to Germany to perform and tour the Rheinland, from Rheinbach, the sister city of New York's Rhinebeck. We hosted 100 German students in our homes in the alternating exchanges.

In our move West, I successfully pursued a life long dream and will now be a member of The Mormon Tabernacle Choir! I have a rich life and am grateful for the arts.

Any other artistic ventures?
Over the past few years I helped establish a new company called Living Celebrations: Life is a Masterpiece. Living Celebrations captures people's life stories and celebrates them through story and art. The Masterpiece process includes interviewing the celebrant to help them remember those special times in their lives and to determine their life passions. It also includes meeting with a creative team of artists, craftsmen, writers, designers, bookbinders, project managers, etc. Through these steps, the team creates an heirloom artistic biography, a person's story in both visual and written form. This has been significant work for me as an art director.

What has been most rewarding about your career?
I consider myself fortunate to make a living doing what I love. From childhood I have been an artist. To see and study great art and to be able to paint nearly every day for a wide variety of clients has never gotten old.

Painting also allows me the freedom to fill my days with my family. My wife—who is also my best friend—and I have raised three wonderful children. I am truly grateful for this amazing life.

Bradley Clark, Watercolorist and Illustrator

Bradley Clark is a traditional watercolor painter & illustrator with a reputation for creating paintings filled with light and color. He uses realism and romantic landscape to create images that immediately make a connection with viewers. As a freelance illustrator, Bradley takes on an array of projects including book covers, travel images, magazine illustration, product packaging, advertising campaigns, and licensing decorative images.

Bradley Clark's clients include:

Advertising / Packaging Licensing Publishing

American Express
BBDO
Daymon Worldwide
DDB Needham
Dreamworks SKG
Federal Reserve Bank
Godiva Chocolates
Grey
Royal Caribbean
Waldorf Astoria Collection
Walt Disney Company
Wedgewood/Waterford Barrington Studios
Blonder Wallcoverings
Coasterstone
Crazy Mountain
DownEast Concepts
Fiskars Home
Harry & David
Leanin' Tree
Manual Woodworkers and Weavers
Mohawk Home
Mosaic
Norwall Wallcoverings
U.S. Can American Way
Family Fun
Harper Collins
Macmillan
Random House
Reader's Digest
Redbook
Scholastic
Scribners
Simon & Shuster
Spider/Cricket
Warner Books