Todd Lachance — ARTIST

Todd Lachance

Interview with artist Todd Lachance —

1. Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Todd Lachance. I am a representational painter based out of Calgary Alberta, Canada. I work in oils. I plein air paint and work out of my studio. I paint portraits, figures, landscapes and still life.

“A Walk in November”

2. Why art?
It’s my passion! I need to do it. I am very creative and it’s the way I express myself. Next to my family, it’s the thing that makes me most happy. I am fortunate to be able to do the thing that makes me happy as a job.

“Tiger Lilies”

3. What is your earliest memory of wanting to be an artist?
I have always drawn and to a lesser degree painted. It’s just what I did. I would draw the portraits of The Beatles that came with the White Album and my Mother would crtitique them. I think I was five or six. I drew comics constantly. One time I ripped them up because I was frustrated. My Dad found them in the garbage and got mad at me because he said they were important. I started to dabble in painting as a teen. I really got serious while I was a competitive long track speed skater. I would run home after practice and paint all day until the next practice. I went to art school, but it was useless. I also needed to focus on athletics until my body told me to retire.

“Isabelle”

4. What are your favorite subject(s) and media(s)?
I like to paint my children, portraits and the female figure. Mountains and glaciers and all that good Canadian terrain. What usually intrigues me the most in a landscape is if it’s a challenge to get to. A perfect plein air day is just me and nature.

5. How do you work and approach your subject?
I try to be pragmatic about it. I break it down into big shapes and values. Good drawing with nice appropriate edges. If you get that right and it has nice composition, you’ve got it made!

“Zenith”

6. What are your favorite art work(s), artist(s)?
Anything by John Singar Sargent, Anders Zorn, Joaquín Sorolla, Rembrandt. I love my heritage. By that I mean Tom Thomson and The Group of Seven. Richard Schmid and Jeremy Lipking are also favorites. So many…

“Four of Ten – Moraine Lake”

7. What are the best responses you have had to your work?
I heard from someone that worked at a gallery I was represented by that a girl would come by everyday on her lunch to see one of my paintings. I think they even worked out a special payment plan for her and she eventually aquired it. Hearing that was very heart warming.

8. What do you like about your work?
I’m not afraid to take chances and push colour. I like strong bold design and contrast. I think I do that somewhat successfully.

“Isabelle, Soft Bear and Puppy”

9. What advice would you give to other artists?
If you really want it, go after it. Fail a bunch and keep learning. Do whatever it takes to learn what you need to keep getting better. I had a horrible experience with art school. Nobody could teach fundamentals. I need to read and research. Go to different cities to see paintings. Seek out other artists who had the skills I didn’t and learn from them. Paint from life!

“Above Moraine Lake”

Moraine Lake

10. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
I am doing exactly what I want to do, so, I will still be doing it. My goals are to improve with every painting I do. I will still be learning, I will be passing that knowledge on, probably through the occasional class and workshop. Hopefully, I will be gaining collectors and continued sales.

Todd Lachance & Isabelle

LINKS —

Website:  http://www.toddlachance.ca
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Todd-Lachance/9103172333
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ToddLachance
Instagram:  http://instagram.com/toddlachance/
Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/toddlachance/

Galleries —

Michelangelo Gallery:  http://michelangelofineart.com
Mountain Galleries:  http://mountaingalleries.com