Titles

Hermon is amazing; not only is his talent shown in his paintings, but in his titles for each piece. Many times, the title precedes the actual painting. Then the painting reveals itself. As I said before, there is great preparation for the artwork; the titles are another story. At one time, we had about 48 lithograph images, and, of course, that many names. We laughed about it, because many of them had wind, wolves, or brothers in the titles. There was North Wind, South Wind, East Wind, West Wind, Ruler of the Winds, To Catch the Wind, Brothers, Three Wolves, Snow Wolf, Snow Wolves, etc. Sometimes our family and staff would concentrate on thinking up a title for a painting that Hermon just could not name. Those were some of the most enjoyable times we spent together. Spelling was never Hermon's best asset. So, there were errors that needed to be corrected before the images went to the printer. One in particular, that I caught, was "Coming Home." He spelled it with two "m's"-comming home. So it was not surprising, when we got one back from the printer with a mispelled title. But this one was particularly funny to us, because it was not one that Hermon had ever misspelled. (We thought the type setter should have caught that one, but maybe he was Japanese.) "Broken Silence" read "Broken Slience!" So there it is and there it stays. One of the most beautiful titles was made by Jim, our older son. "Wings of My Soul" suited the mood of the painting to a tee. Titles are very important to the artwork, because it can tell the tale in very few words. Hermon has always had a great knack for that.

Cake Job

When Robert was six, he told a friend that his dad had "a cake job; he just paints, whenever he feels like it." From his perspective, perhaps, but, that is not the real story. That might work for semi-professional artists, but Hermon was driven, from the moment he set his sights on becoming a full-time artist. He had a determination and a work ethic that amazed everyone. He could work way beyond anyone else, and never seem to tire of planning, discussing, seeking, and working toward his goal, to become a famous, successful artist. He spent hours doing research, whether it be in magazines, art books, photography, sketches, or paintings. He gathered so much information about his subject matter, that, I believe, his other passion is books. (He didn't want to be a lawyer, because they had to study too much.) That is exactly what he did-to study all aspects of the historical, for truth and accuracy, to the best of his abilities. That is essential to Hermon. He says there will always be someone, who is an expert, or who thinks he is, that will know the difference in one rifle or the other, or one mountain range, or an Indian tribe, by his costume and jewelry. Hermon's swipe file is vast, one that he has been collecting for probably 50 years. I remember some early files of horses, clouds, trees, cowboys, etc. He uses live models for all his characters. That entails lots of work, too. Proper lighting, best model, background and effects,and many hours. Modeling can be hard work. I know first hand; the boys and I are the least expensive models Hermon has ever had. So, there is a lot more to painting pretty pictures than just painting. He probably spends an equal amount of time in preparation for the painting. Usually, the idea comes first, and many times the title. Then comes the composition from his imagination. Hermon does not "copy" a photograph, unless he has composed it. Then he might alter it, in more ways than one. He uses portions of several photos for detail. Light and shadow must be consistant and accurate in all of them, for that particular painting. Then comes the actual painting itself. When it goes smoothly, one can count on a week to a month. And they don't always go smoothly. Something he chose to do, might not work in the actual configuration, for example. All in all, it is an intensive process to put together. Hermon will only accept the result, if it is exactly what he has in mind. For a lot of years, Hermon and our sons built the frames from scratch. That is a whole other talent, which entails much accuracy and physical labor, as well as does creating spectacular paintings. A "cake job" for a driven, talented, hardworking, never-say-die artist, like Hermon Adams, who is just that. The proof is in the pudding.