Joyful, buoyant, vibrant, vital, bold, and alive are just some of the adjectives that come to mind when viewing a Brendan Loughlin painting. Loughlin, a self taught artist formerly of the picturesque town of Guilford, Connecticut, and currently residing and painting in Westbrook, CT, has attracted the attention of fellow artists, the media and collectors from all over the US.
It is astounding that Brendan Loughlin’s ascendance in the art world has happened at all. It is a story stranger than fiction. Much of Loughlin’s life was one obstacle to overcome after another… a dysfunctional childhood, two broken marriages, poverty, and a bout of homelessness late in life, just to name a few. Despite all odds, never giving up, overcoming all setbacks, Brendan finally achieved his dream of becoming an artist. He started to first paint at the age of 53. The energetic optimism and determination that allowed him to eventually succeed is evident in his paintings.
Another major factor that helped mold Brendan Loughlin into the unique artist that he is today is that of his new method of painting, called Pastac™. He has created a method of combining chalk pastels, painter’s tints and B-I-N shellac to create works of bold, vibrant hues and rich textures not easily duplicated by conventional means of painting. When using Pastac™, the paintings dry quickly (within five minutes) and allow the artist to build texture without compromising the quality of the color. The result is paintings with brilliant colors that will never fade in sunlight.
The dramatic life journey, the invention of the Pastac™ process, the resilient and quirky personality… these all combine into the person that is Brendan Loughlin and give rise to a unique artist of rare qualities. With his primitive and simple style, his floral, village, angel, ocean and landscape images capture an innocence, whimsy and beauty not easily duplicated by others. Make no mistake, there are many other artists out there that are of better technique and more complexity, but if you believe art is to enhance one’s life by conveying vitality for life, a joy of living and the beauty of nature, then few rival the talents of Brendan Loughlin.
