Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains, Josh Clare has always had a deep appreciation for nature’s beauty. Although Josh always had a pencil and paper in his hands growing up, it wasn’t until he began studying at BYU-Idaho when he realized his love for painting. Just two weeks after graduating with a BFA in 2007, Josh was accepted into a top art gallery. Now, nearly a decade later, Josh holds numerous awards and has been accepted into several major art galleries. Josh’s distinctive style and spiritual approach continues to be reflected in his art.

What motivates you to paint?

The beauty of God’s creations—nothing motivates or inspires me more than nature. The more I paint the more I am aware of that beauty and the more aware I become the more I am inspired.

Josh Clare

How do you balance family life and art?

That’s a good question. I’m learning as I go. Art is consuming—and my nature is such that not being totally consumed by art is a real struggle. I have to remind myself daily what is truly important to me and what really matters. And what matters is my family. It doesn’t really matter if I become a great artist… I came here to earth to become a great husband, a great father and a great person. A practical thing I’m doing right now to create better balance is making sure I take Saturday’s off and spend them with my family and making sure that my work day ends at 6:00 pm every day.

Who influences your work?

I look a lot at my favorite artists and am continually learning new things from their work. They’ve all influenced me and continue to do so. I’ve got a lot of favorites, but at the very top of the list are the Russian Itinerants: Abram Arkhipov, Illya Repin, Ivan Shishkin and their contemporaries who were making paintings that were almost alive with truth and honesty and passion. I love those guys.Landscape Painting

What do you want to instill in your students?

An appreciation for the truly beautiful. A confidence in themselves and their ability to create beautiful things if they’ll keep on keeping on. And an ever present sense of joy and gratitude that they’ve been blessed with the time and the means to paint.

What would you like the viewers of your video to know?

Nothing truly worthwhile is ever easy. Ever. :)

 

See more of Josh’s work at www.joshclare.com