By Greg Scharen
LINCROFT – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young is cranking while Red Bank’s own George Hess works on his paintings. Hess, 77, has been painting landscapes and architecture in the area since moving here from New York four years ago. His paintings include landscapes of Thompson Park, a house in Red Bank near the hospital and his current work in progress, Longstreet Farm in Holmdel.
The acrylic paintings have Hess’ own personal style but they hold true to the natural environment he first sees.
Hess says his eyes are always open when he’s out and about with his camera ready to snap a picture at any second. “Things just hit you if you have a kind of artistic eye. All of a sudden, that’s a painting in the making,” said Hess, sitting outside his home.
Hess’ process begins with something catching his eye, then he snaps half a dozen photos and then imports the one he thinks is best into Adobe Photoshop (image-editing software). From there he crops the photo to the size he wants and “fools” around with the exposures so he can start painting.
These paintings take Hess about 10 hours to complete over the course of about three sittings. He works quickly and credits that to the looser style of painting he uses with these certain landscapes.
Hess also does a very realistic style of architectural painting. These are more detailed, intricate paintings that take longer to create. They are often done on commission for clients to give as gifts to the home’s owner.
“People have to be able to tell it’s their house,” said Hess with a laugh, “These paintings are much tighter.”
Painting has been a hobby of Hess’ since he was a young child, passed on to him by his mother who would bring him along to art classes and give him a brown paper bag to draw on. From there his love for art grew with others playing key roles in influencing his creative style, one being a neighbor.
“She had a couple of acres of property overlooking a lake and we would just sit out there and talk about art. Then at night, we get together and paint,” said Hess. Others from Greenwich Village also impacted his artistic temperament. “All these people that helped teach me and give me their views, they helped me see the different styles.”
Since moving to the area Hess has had more time than ever to paint. Now retired, he worked as a textile designer and stylist before moving on to a career in graphic design. He has been featured in numerous galleries throughout his life and was most recently showcased at the Guild of Creative Art’s “Abstract Interpretations” exhibit.
