My Latest And Last Avatar

You look very nice!

Very handsome.

Hal,

Looking sharp. Sorry to hear things are not so well.

Dave

Very impressive!

You look much healthier Hal! How do you feel now?

Handsome and professional avatar!

Hi Hal.

This is a wonderful photograph of you.
I hope you are feeling better.

Regards,
Gay

You look very nice. I don't see anything wrong with wearing jeans all of the time though, even if you were to put a shot like that as your avatar.

A formal portrait is always nice!

Harold...you look like an action hero for sure! If you made a new "Double-Trouble"(one of my favorites all time anywhere by anybody) only instead of the cat and dog it was you in different times it would be very cool!

How did you come ip with that idea in the first place if you do not mind my telling us?

Thank you guys.

About 3 or 4 days after we got back from our cruise, Janice came down with this awful cold. All she did every day was cough, cough, cough. I tried to stay out of her way so I wouldn't come down with it too but to no avail, I came down with it myself. It was the worst cold I have had since I was a kid. It took me just under 2 weeks to get rid of it. Once we were both sneezing and coughing we found out that the couple we went on that cruise with had it too. So Janice then told me she had seen the woman who was cleaning our staterooms was walking around with the sniffles and coughing, I hadn't noticed. So we figure she was the spreader of bad tidings.

Hiya Vincent. Sure I will tell you. A couple of weeks before I started the painting of "Double Trouble" my wife and I were at a friends house having dinner. Her first name is Chris. I don't know if she would be happy if I gave her full name. Anyway, there was around 4 or 5 couples there that evening. After we had finished eating our dinner Chris asked me, "Well Harold, what's your next painting going to be?" Honestly Vincent, this is just the way it happened. An image of a dog looking in a mirror flashed into my mind right at that moment. I said,"Chris I have always wanted to paint a dog looking in a mirror because I always thought, what are they thinking of when seeing themselves in a mirror." So I said that I was going use my dog Scooter as the model. Chris said, "No, please use my dog Trump as the model Hal." I thought to myself that an Enlish Bulldog might just be better for this painting and I said OK.

Once I had my idea in my head of what it was going to look like I went down to Chris' house one day and shot 40 or 50 shots of her dog, Trump. After I looked at all the photographs I had taken I chose a few that I thought would work so I uploaded them into Photoshop and merged, tweaked and color balanced them with a floor length mirror that I had shot previously. Once I had all of them put together in Photoshop I thought something is missing because all it looks like is a portrait of a dog standing in front of a mirror looking at himself. So I decided then that something has to be in that mirror besides himself that caught his attention. A cat, I thought was just the trick. So I went through all my photographs of my cats that I had already taken and saw the shot of my cat Rascal. This was the perfect shot I thought because cats really aren't into what's going on around them unless it's a toy or mouse.

Then I knew I had it - a dog looking in the mirror at himself with one eye and one eye on a cat who couldn't be bothered. Since I painted this picture it has won awards in every show I have entered it into. One year I entered it into this show where it took first place. The following year I hadn't sold it yet so I had it hanging in my tent at this same show when the judges came around marking the paintings that were to be hung in the winners' circle. I tried to stop them from placing a sticker on it explaining that it took First Place in last years show but they said, "Harold, it hasn't won anything in this year's show yet." They gave it second place. So, It won First and Second place in the same show at different years.

To bring an end to this story, the lady who owned Trump (he passed away a few weeks ago.) purchased the painting from me for $4,000.00. She had told my wife that she couldn't see anybody owning that painting but herself. She happens to be an art collector with 30 or 40 paintings she has purchased throughout the years. All of her paintings she has collected through the years are abstracts. The only realistic painting she has on one of her walls is "Double Trouble."

After I finished the painting, I couldn't come up with a title so I put a contest on the internet that said anybody who can give me a title for this painting I will give a free print to. I received just under 100 titles and I named the winning title to be "Double Trouble." The man who gave me that title was John Crowther who is the son of the late Bosley Crowther an author and the film critic for the New York Times Newspaper.

This one is the most popular painting I have ever done.

Very distinguished avatar Harold.

Have you ever considered writing an illustrated auto biography?

Thank you Mario.

Yes I have Vincent but I think I would need a ghost writer because I don't think I would have the stamina to finish it. I know I already have enough art to fill it up and when I think back about all the famous people that I worked with and met, I believe I would have enough stories to fill it up. Right now I am working on an article titled "The Language Of Art" that I hope to post here when it's finished. My problem is when I get the idea to write something like this it starts out as a short article but winds up as a series of articles. Thanks Vincent.

I love how the bull dog first appears to be looking at himself then you realize he is looking at the cat's reflection.
Classic!

Harold,
Did any of the famous working artists you had met ever give up anything which could be considered by you to be a "break"?

Thanks Drew.

Vincent, that's a tough question to answer but here's a few that come to my mind.

Bernie Wrightson gave up drawing his Horror comic books to do a few movies which I felt was a distraction for him. I think Bernie was born to replace Graham Ingels as the greatest Horror artist of all time. But he took on some commission work in the movies, Spider-Man, The Faculty, Ghostbusters and a few others. Thank heavens the last time I was talking with Bernie he was back drawing comic books. Bernie's greatest work was the well known book of "Frankenstein." It's a collectors item now.

Frank Frazetta constantly turned down offers to sell his paintings. Years ago his wife, Ellie needed an operation, so Frank, who wasn't one to have a lot of insurance needed to come up with some fast money so word has it he sold one of his paintings for $240,000.00 Can you imagine what his paintings would have brought in later in his life? What I am getting to is fame, not so much the money element. His work would have become famous around the world with the common folk as well as the comic book collectors. Vincent, mention Andrew Wyeth's name to people on the street and most people would know he was a famous artist. But mention Frank's name to people on the street and most would just shrug their shoulders. I, for one, think Frank was superior to Wyeth in every way.

Many, many artists I have met that tried copying Frazetta's style and wasted their time. Frank told me years ago to not waste my time copying his style and techniques. I told him that I didn't want to become a second rate Frazetta but a first rate Harold Shull.

Neal Adams and Dick Giordano were a great team but very different personalities. It's a shame they went their separate ways. It would have been better if they had stayed together.

Harold,
I remember this is how I got into FFA. There was a phony artist in Canada, a Frenchman...who made some descent copies of Frank Frazetta's works on Conan and had them for sale here signed by the Canadian.

I was flaming angry and joined this site for the purpose.... to expose this guy and get him banned off this site.
It got done but I also remember some regulars here at "Cheers" who trashed me for getting so angry.

That an illustrator or any artist never really becomes a "celebrity" is a good thing because it is the work that makes success much more than the artist as an individual.

This is one reason I hate local news media promoting an artist as an "acclaimed artist" or some other nonsense.

Vincent, I remember having a conversation with Frazetta about all the artists who were copying his style especially his figure art. His reaction was laughter, my reaction was similar to yours Vincent. But Frank said to me, "Hal, all those artists are accomplishing is to make my art look better." Besides, he thought that it was a cheap form of advertisement for his paintings. Vincent, among his family and friends he was already a celebrity. It didn't matter what he tried, he excelled at it. Whether it was cartooning, sword and sorcery or even Baseball, he mastered them all. HE was one of those rare individuals who was truly touched by God.

Vincent when an artist, athlete, writer, actor or anybody else who succeeds with his talents more than most of his peers, I for one, believe that he has earned all the fame that society can bestow on him. Frank was never a big money-maker because he and especially his wife, Ellie chose to hold onto all of his originals. Now here's a funny one for you - the reason Ellie chose to hang onto all of Frank's originals is because down deep, she knew his art would hang in museums one day. Little did anybody realize then that the Frazettas would own the museum. Now here's the funny thing about the whole story, Ellie kept all the keys herself and Frank had to ask her before he was allowed to enter the museum with his art that built the dang thing. The reason was Ellie didn't want Frank to be giving any of his art to his friends. Frank had a big heart and although he is noted for painting some of the most horrific and violent paintings about sword and sorcery, he was also one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. That's one of the reasons why celebrities and Presidents stood in line just to meet him.

Hell Vincent, if the local medias ever printed the whole truth and nothing but the truth it would cause an uprising in this country that would make the Civil War look like child's play and most of the history books would have to be re-written.

Frederick Remington, who got his art career start here in Kansas City, was in the habit of giving his originals away to people he thought were friends too. He owned a bar. But a sharp art dealer approached Frederick to make copies of the western art originals he had in the bar located on 3rd Street. The guy was named Findlay and now Findlay Galleries are in all the major US and European cities as a result. This was before prints were possible. Remington was able to get wealthy and sell off his bar and Findlay is still going strong today.

In a small toen of Lees Summit a few years ago I found for sale the bronze letters of the Findlay Gallery for sale.

Remington finally married to a woman who put a stop to any give aways.

Remington owned this bar with a partner but sold it and used the funds to go back out west. He helped support the saloon business he owned by fist fighting. If you look at his face it looks like that of a fighter. Anyway Remington's wife made sure son one got away with anything for free which is like Frank's story.

Vincent I always loved Remington's paintings. One of the reasons, of course, was that he started off as an illustrator and that influenced his style until he packed it in. He had this gutsy technique of applying his colors with those beautiful brush strokes. Also he was a master with composition and knowledge of the west. There's an artist living today who happens to be my all time favorite artist who also paints like he is Remington reincarnated. His name is Howard Terpning.

Indeed! Howard and all the CAA artists were on top of the world of landscape and figure painting in the 20th century. I follow and studied them all.

Howard Terpning has a style which most everyone loves.

I have met Frank McCarthy too. These men made a living as illustrators and could make life like scenes of history like no one before them!

To me Vincent, some illustrators and the American west painters are the modern day "impressionists."

Many scholars at art museums I have spoken with predict these illustrator/painters and sculptors will reign in the mid 21st century. One reason is people are beginning to tire of the "New York Modern Art Movement" which has pretty much worn itself out just like the "Impressionist Movement" had done. These two art movements were all sort of a closed shop exploitation as it were anyway. The "Pop Art" movement is beginning to rot out of staleness also.

Vincent, when you mention the names of Howard Terpning, Everett Raymond Kinstler, Frank Frazetta, Frederick Remington, N. C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle, Norman Rockwell, Albert Dorne and Harold Von Schmidt, etc. The first thing that comes to my mind is, what museum do I have to go to to admire their work? All of them were or are Illustrators.

Harold, always an interesting viewpoint and as I hope you know I do have a great deal of respect for you and what you have done. I knew who Frazetta was as a kid and liked his work at that time, here is my issue; Although admittedly technically awesome Frazetta's work seems rather tacky or lowbrow in content. In other words the formal issues are very well done, although not innovative but the conceptual concerns are nearly non existent. In Frazetta's defense I have never seen one of his works in real life but have seen Andrew Wyeth's. Wyeth had extremely creative compositions and I really liked his technique using Egg Tempera, very impressive in real life.

Some are presented with honor at the Pratt Institute of Art where Frank studied(and my daughter)in New York.

Some of the western illustrators like Frank McCarthy, Olaf Weighorst and numerous others are proudly shown at the National Cowboy Museum of Art in Oklahoma City. Some museums like the Las Calabas in Wickenburg, Arizona and the Charley Russel muse in Cody Wyoming are showing the master illustrators.

In New York it is sad but there are only a dozen 20th century artists who areconsistLy displayed at their museums. Wyeth is one but the illustrators are indeed pushed back in favor of the theorotical abstract ensemble.

Really getting bored with the 1950's expressionist's and the French Impressionists along with Picasso and the cubists always be img promoted as moderns when In fact they all are just old hat antiquated artists.

Of course these dirty dozen are money makers art or not!

You are looking well, Harold. I don't like the sound of your title. It makes me sad.

I copied the polar bear chariot painting Frank did when I was a kid. I still have my version. It turned out really good for as young as I was. I could copy anyone's work dead on in graphite. I was far from a painter back then. Frazetta was someone I admired greatly. He captured movement so well. I also still have the copies I did from the Max Brand books my brother collected. Loved the cover art on those books. I drew them on a folded piece of unused wallpaper. Just some of the ways I schooled myself on how to draw people and animals. That was back in the day that I wanted to be an illustrator and was into every little detail. Realism was my passion now my work is more impressionistic. I even had dreams of working with Disney. I'm guessing since you knew all those comic book illustrators you may also know Stan Lee or have met him at least. Didn't all those guys go out for drinks at the same place or something? Stan Lee seems like a great guy. Someone I'd like to meet.

Hiya Ronald,
I saw some of Wyeth's originals at his museum in Brandywine. I also saw most of Frazetta's originals at his home and then the rest of them at his museum. I will repeat what I said above, "I think that Frank was superior to Wyeth in every way." One afternoon, when I was talking with Frank at his home, he was showing me his "DeathDealer" to me which, BTW, at that time, happened to be Frank's favorite painting. I said something like, Damn Frank, you have one weird imagination. He laughed and said. "Hal, do you think that these so called "Fine Arts Painters" could do something like this on a deadline without any models?" Ronald, I will never forget that conversation as long as I live because I realized then just how great Frank was when he said that to me.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Frazetta#/media/File:DeathDealer.jpg

I knew from one of his clients, James Warren, that Frank hardly ever used models or photographs. Also Frank told me that he was one of the greatest procrastinators ever. Sometimes he would wait until the night before he had to deliver his painting to his client and then go to his studio and paint the picture. This I know is true because James Warren, whom I had done some commissioned work for, told me that sometimes Frank would deliver wet paintings to Warren. One of my favorite examples of Frank's procrastination is the Neanderthal painting that Frank painted in one night. He had this commission from James Warren to do so he went to his studio, and as Frank told me, he was surprised to find that he didn't have any canvas boards left. He usually painted all of his paintings on canvas boards. The only thing he had was this old piece of water stained masonite leaning against the wall. When he painted that picture, he even left the water stain in the background for effect. I know this to be true because I had the painting in my hands when he told me that story. That painting won all kinds of awards that year.
http://blogcritics.org/wp-content/uploads/bcimages/2015/03/neanderthal.jpg

When I put these two conversations together, one verified the other. Now, in answer to Frank's question to me - "Hal, do you think that these so called "Fine Arts Painters" could do something like this on a deadline without any models?" - my answer is No, I don't think they could. Maybe, once in a while they would be able to pull it off but on projects on an every day basis as Frank did, nope, no way.

Also, Frank was a ghost artist for Al Capp and drew "Lil Abner" for 8 or 9 years. Could Andrew Wyeth draw any cartoons out of his head? I don't think so.

Vincent, you and I are on the same page. I even think we must have went to different schools together. I agree with what you said about the Impressionists. It's time to live and walk in the 21st century.

Thank you Jani. When I worked in the field Stan Lee and I knew each other by sight but I never really had anything to do with Stan. He was and is a very nice guy. As far as I know all of his writers and artists liked him.

Why not a national illustrators museum? The abstract argument wins now due to interior design but illustration should be in a museum I believe!

Vincent, so do I. The only time, it seems, that you can see a large selection of an Illustrators work is if they have a showing traveling around the country. That's how I saw an art show of James Bama's paintings. One day at lunchtime, Earl Norem and I walked up to 59th street in NYC where Bama's show was to see it. Every one of Bama's paintings deserved to be hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Every one of his paintings were more than equal to anything that Andrew Wyeth had painted.

I think there is an opening for the next James Bond.

Edward, please explain.

First saw Bama in Southwest Art Magazine. Still have that issue somewhere.
In late October every year there is a banquet and sale in Phoenix Art Museum. The numbers are in the millions of dollars for works by western artists called Cowboy Artists of America. CAA.
The artists work in the tradition of Thomas Cole but worked in the illustration trade before concentrating on fine non-commercial art making exclusively.
The prices range from $1000.00 to $300,000.00 per artwork. This is the big leave when it comes to American Art.

Well Harold, this is my issue not yours. As I stated I have never seen an original. His work or style has been copied many times over the years and in many ways that alone is a testimonial to him. The whole big boobed, oversized mussels heroic figure from the days of yore or perhaps the science fiction from the future holds little or no interest to me. Seems designed to attract boys of the ages 12-20 mostly. Well done? Hell yes!! Is that all there is to art? Does that make him a great artist?? You will no doubt say yes and I can certainly see why! I on the other hand, would say no. Great talent though!

Edward, thank you. My wife had to explain it to me. I was trying to connect that with the stories about Illustrators. But I think I would be very good at playing some bad guy in one of those James Bond movies. They wear tuxedoes too.

Vincent it's a real shame that, here's an American Illustrator that few people outside the field of art have ever heard his name. Yet, IMO he was one of the 20th century's greatest artists. Beginning with the Doc Savage book covers through to his western paintings, he was one of the icons of American illustrators that most galleries would love to get their hands on. If you would go onto any college campus and mention Picasso's and James Bama's name, everybody would probably be familiar with Picasso but when Bama's name was mentioned you would probably get a, "Huh?" Or "Is he a relative of Obama? Yet, in most cases, he is recognized out West but not here in the East. Why is it that most Illustrators have to move out West and paint western paintings before they get recognized for who they were and who they are? It's a shame.

http://www.galleryone.com/artframing/bama.html

Met Frank McCarthy once at a book signing. He told me in some shop talk about the killing deadlines he faced imposed by the printers. He mentioned the fumes from oil paint and turps getting to him as well.

He illustrated a number of book covers. Like you his ability and skill in painting is amazing!

I envy you for having met Frank McCarthy. He's another artist that was born in New York and moved west to settle down and paint The American West. When he teamed up with Robert McGinnis to paint western book covers and movie posters such as, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and On Her Majesty's Secret Service, they were the very best. The only artist that could compete with them was Ron Lesser. He painted a lot of Clint Eastwood movie posters and the poster for "Ryan's Daughter" which held the record for the most money paid to an artist for a movie poster - $17,000.00. Since then, I think that record was broken many times over. The reason I know this is because Ron's agent was interested in signing me on to represent me. That was way back in the early 70s and I can't remember his name.

But getting back to Frank McCarthy and Robert McGinnis...the reason they were so great together was Frank painted the horses and backgrounds and McGinnis painted the figures. I think if you check out all of Frank McCarthy's, Robert McGinnis' and Ron Lesser's illustrations of movies and Western book covers, you will agree with me, it doesn't get any better than that. BTW, they were all born in NYC. Must be something in the water. :)

Howard Terpning is my favorite western painter. I have three of his S/N prints which are now conservatively valued at over $10K. Terpning researches his subject matter to ensure that the details such as clothing, etc. are authentic to the Plains Indians. What I find unique about Terpning is that one could remove the figures in one of his paintings and be left with a stellar landscape painting. Also, love James Bama and have one of his S/N prints which has also appreciated in value.

On the softer side, I also like Coby Whitmore and Gil Elvgren works.

Hiya Sarah,

You are a lady after my own heart. Not only did you purchase art prints from my all time favorite artist, you mentioned another favorite of mine, Coby Whitmore. Coby replaced another favorite of mine, Jon Whitcomb as America's iconic painter of beautiful women. Other favorites of mine from that period of illustration are Daniel Schwartz, Bob Peak, and my buddy Earl Norem. There were so many very talented artists in the 60s, 70s and 80s that I am astonished there hasn't been a book illustrated and written in print today. If I took the time just to name these guys, it would become a "Who's Who of American Artists."

Winslow Homer was another illustrator who became elevated up into the mainstream of the modern art scene. Some of those who has came into art following the example of the Hudson River School people were real cool and worked to the maximum in the field of painting. William Merit Chase and then Maxwell Parrish were illustrators. Parrish worked exclusively inside his studio from photos and sketches he managed prior to executing his masterpieces.

Vincent, I recall that several of Homer's Caribbean watercolor pieces, which were rather loosely rendered, were very popular in the 80's. They were a deviation from his typical style.