Artist drew inspiration from Norman Rockwell
Illustrator’s work part
of ‘All Aboard the
Arts II’ festival
JERRY WOLKOWITZ Middletown illustrator Peter Caras discusses one of his many pieces.
Follow your heart, and you will surely find success. That’s the sage advice of illustrator Peter Caras.
He gives it freely with a tender smile and an air of sincerity that lets you know he’s for real and ready to replay his own resilient ride down a rocky road to a refined portrait of an artist.
"How many people can say they can get paid for something they’d do for nothing?" Caras asked in a recent interview at his home in the Leonardo section of the township. "It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth it."
Hailing from Johnstown, Pa., of Johnstown flood fame, the 61-year-old 24-year Middletown resident, who has 1,700 well-known published illustrations to his credit, says there’s no other way to contentment than down that sometimes rocky road laced with love and respect for your craft. Caras will tell you that taking that ride also means daring to reach out for input and bearing the brunt of criticism.
ELAINE VAN DEVELDE The artist showed a montage of book covers featuring the faces of Middletown residents he used as models at Middletown’s “All Aboard the Arts II” festival May 19 at the site of the future arts center on Church Street.
A determined 18-year-old Caras set out to find his idol, Norman Rockwell, in the early 1960s, and to seek his artistic advice. It was a bold move, but one that Caras never cowered from, and that ultimately afforded him invaluable lessons.
He went to live in "an attic in Stockbridge, Mass., two houses away from Rockwell," he said.
"I bused tables for double shifts at the historic Red Lion Inn. When I wasn’t working, I’d paint and bring pieces to him to critique," Caras recalled.
When Caras first approached Rockwell, the famous artist told him to "find a good art school." Years later, not long before Rockwell’s death, the famous artist wrote to Caras saying he had "no criticisms, only admiration" for Caras’ work. Caras had come full circle from criticism to critical acclaim. He emphasized that it happened because he "never gave up" on his calling, keeping his craft center stage. In fact, as with any artist, Caras will tell you it was a lesson in endurance — knowing what to absorb for refining one’s art while "keeping shoulders broad enough to fend off random lack of respect."
The medium Caras works in is oil paint. But to see his paintings, you’d find it hard to believe that some pieces aren’t photographs, even up close. The work is so detailed that distinguishing it from photos can be a daunting task.
Daunting may have also described Rockwell’s first abrasive criticism to Caras. However, Caras knew it wouldn’t be easy to reach that pinnacle of success without a few falls.
"But [I] found that with persistence," Caras said, "I came to know success earlier than many artists. I recommend to anyone with any love for his art to just hold onto their dreams. If you don’t try, you will always regret it and wonder, ‘What if?’ No one can afford to go through life with that question hanging over them. Though it can be hard, [the journey is] always worth it if it’s in your heart."
He stresses again and again, the uphill climb is worth every ache. That’s probably because Caras took and conquered that climb.
After seeking out and getting Rockwell’s raw criticisms, Caras ended up graduating from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Pa. At age 21, he met, and was mentored by, James Bama, who is touted as one of today’s premier Western artists.
Mentors and milestones later, Caras is now one of the few remaining illustrators in the world who actually paints his images, rather than relying on computer imaging and photography. And Caras’ work is everywhere. "You’ve seen my work, but just never realized it was mine," he chuckled.
That work includes the little man on the Dewar’s Scotch label; artwork in Kellogg’s, Eastman Kodak, ABC and CBS advertising; best-selling book jackets/covers for V.C. Andrews, Norman Bogner, Mary Higgins Clark, Rona Jaffe, James A. Michener, Irwin Shaw and more; magazines, such as Time and Omni; movie posters for The Times and Life of Judge Roy Bean with Paul Newman, Swashbuckler, The Revengers, Five Card Stud, Evil That Men Can Do and more; periodicals from New York Magazine to TV Guide; and portraits of famous actors, politicians and presidents.
The list is endless, but how it got so big is due to what Caras will tell you is another integral piece of the puzzle of the life of a successful artist. He’ll reiterate that without the heart, an artist is headed nowhere fast, but respecting the work and balancing between the two is the "wrapper on the artist’s package," he said.
"The greatest thing Rockwell taught me was how to be professional. It’s part of a whole package — from not being late for an assignment, to researching a subject, to finding the perfect model," he noted.
Balancing technique and emotion well can be tricky, he said. "I got good technically fast, and that can be a dangerous thing. Rockwell concentrated on emotional issues and imparted that wisdom to me. The balance between being good technically and understanding emotionally is an important one. You can actually control people’s thoughts with that proper balance between emotional and technical aspects."
Caras went on to explain that some mind manipulation can be necessary to the success of a piece. He stresses that a little twisting around of what he calls "society’s brainwashing of people" can make all the difference in how a piece comes across to the trained and untrained eye. Conveying what you need to convey is important, he said, and "how you get there is striking that delicate technical-emotional balance."
For instance, he said, "Society tells us boys are blue, girls are pink, blood is red, evil is black, virgins are white, putting a flashlight under your face is horror. Why not play with that? Sometimes the emotional end of the artwork doesn’t work in that way. One of my pieces of work was a magazine cover for Omni that was a painting of what was supposed to be a boy and was actually a girl. She just fit the emotional part of the description — she was more like the character than any boy I could have used," he explained.
These are some schemes he funnels down to those aspiring to the same goal — whenever or wherever he can.
"I’m lucky. Teaching — sharing my experience and offering time to people who need it — are my ways of ‘giving back to young people the way Rockwell gave to me,’ " Caras said.
And grateful he is. Though still an active illustrator, Caras teaches part time at the du Cret School of Fine Arts in Plainfield.
He also gives to Middletown in any way he can. Caras serves on many charity and volunteer organizations. Earlier this month, he showed his work at Middletown’s "All Aboard the Arts II" festival at the site of the future arts center on Church Street. "A montage of book covers featuring the faces of Middletown residents I’ve used as models" was displayed, he said, serving as a reminder that you don’t have to look far from your own back yard to find your heart’s desire.