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Albert
Anderson Clymer, a Denison-reared realist, whose goals were once set on an
architectural career, has painted a path to fame since trading his T-square
and drafting board for an artist brush and canvas.
Intent on pursuing a career in architecture, Clymer began
studies at Texas A & M University. After becoming aware of design through
architect courses, he discovered art through architecture, experimenting
with painting. It was also through architecture that Clymer was introduced
to acrylics, a water base medium which is quick drying and easy to clean.
He borrowed design concepts from architecture, along with the acrylic paint,
then added an innovative touch-painting on masonite fiberboard-to create his
own style. He was fascinated by the fiberboard because of its ability to
draw water quickly, producing different visual effects.
Once Clymer realized he liked to paint and could make a
living at it, he abandoned architecture in 1967 to become a professional
artist. The transition was as easy one because it fit in with his life
goals. “I wanted to be self-employed-to have absolute freedom. Freedom to
stay at home when I wanted to. Freedom to go to Europe when I pleased and
freedom to create something that could really be cherished.”
Clymer’s dreams became a reality when art critics have his
work favorable reviews. He achieved national recognition through a series
of 187 one-man shows and assorted awards in California, Texas, New York, and
Paris. His paintings are represented in numerous private, corporate and
museum collections and he has been reviewed twice by La Review Moderne Des
Arts, Playboy Press and numerous newspaper articles.
“The poetic concentration and graphic strength revealed by
the work of Albert Clymer thrill us beyond all question. The colors display
a great mastery as well. Skillful relief, resonance, modulated in full
force or in violence according to the sensation to be transmitted. One is
enraptured; carried away; excited…The landscapes become magical escape. One
can only dream, admire.”-Review Moderne Des Arts, Paris, France.
Clymer starts his paintings by covering hardboard with a
mixture of white acrylic gesso and matte medium. This base can be
controlled by varying the mixture. One of the products of his
experimentation comes from brushing a thin wash of color over chosen areas
of a painting to achieve unusual effect in “crazing” or dispersing a
coagulation of the color wash. This is done with the board lying flat or
with a slight tilt. Within seconds, the coagulation begins and can be
stopped almost at once if held in sunlight. The effects can be widely varied
by the dilution of the mixture, the angle of tilt while it is crazing and
the moment of drying.
His art works have not only drawn rave reviews, but have
also earned him inclusion in the prestigious Who’s Who in American Art and
Men of Achievement. Clymer’s art has catapulted into prominence through
Paul Gillette’s book The Single Man’s Indispensable Guide
listing him as one of the top three artists in America today. |
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