COVER ARTIST PROFILE David Bulger

Although artist David Bulger did not begin working with art early in his life — he was 39 when he began painting — he took to it right away following a class with instructor Russ Russell in 1986 at Sharon Arts Center in Peterborough, New Hampshire. &emsp;&emsp;"As soon as I picked up the brush, I pretty much haven't put it down --- it's a part of me," Bulger says. &emsp;&emsp;Bulger continued taking classes anywhere available with individual instructors, including Peter Granucci, whose approach stands out to him. &emsp;&emsp;"He knows all the rules and didn't impress his personality or style on me. He worked in a way so I would develop my own style," says Bulger. &emsp;&emsp;Art was a part of his family while growing up in Stamford, Connecticut. His father, Edward Bulger, did great watercolors and seascapes and served as art director for the advertising department at the company where he worked. And his brother and sister both went to art school. &emsp;&emsp;Bulger says he started with oil painting and worked with that medium, which he loves, for years. Then, five or six years ago, he started working with pencils, another medium he enjoys and finds is helpful to his painting. &emsp;&emsp;"I wanted to go back and improve my drawing skills, which improves observation skills," he explains, adding that he had a tendency to be hasty. &emsp;&emsp;Working too quickly led to a lot of paintings he was not happy with; focusing on his drawing skill helped him to slow down. &emsp;&emsp;"Slow down, or you'll never finish" is a paradoxical sounding line he uses to convey this idea. &emsp;&emsp;Bulger says when painting or drawing, he has to decide how tight an image he wants to create. It could be loose and free-handed or more formal. &emsp;&emsp;"Drawings take a lot longer than you expect. The marks pencils make are small; they have to build up. Who knows, there could be a million marks," he notes. &emsp;&emsp;Working with oil painting involves its own techniques. While the paint stays wet longer and allows for blending during that period, there are also instances when time is needed to dry between layers, working on getting more detail from it, adding shapes, form and color. &emsp;&emsp;"David was an amazing artist from day one. His paintings are very strong, no-nonsense oil paintings," says friend and artist Jeanne Maguire Thieme, who has done art exhibits and painted with Bulger. &emsp;&emsp;She appreciates his honesty when looking at art, which she describes as a great quality in a fellow artist. &emsp;&emsp;"He's not afraid of saying, 'I think you could do this differently.' There is great value in the critique process artists do with each other," she explains. &emsp;&emsp;"Since he has worked with Peter (Granucci), his drawings have become more detailed, maybe even more sensitive. His drawings of animals are just beautiful," she adds. &emsp;&emsp;Animals are a subject that inspires Bulger. &emsp;&emsp;"I'm always looking for things that are interesting, and animals are definitely interesting," he says. &emsp;&emsp;Bulger refers to his 24-hour-a-day mental headlights focused on finding an interesting image, and he never knows where that will come from. For example, while driving around, his attention is sparked by seeing a pony in a fenced-in area with beach balls. And he observes other animals' quirks. &emsp;&emsp;"Just watching chickens behave; I can't figure them out. And ducks, watching them decide who gets in the pond first. Goats are always nosy; they want to get right up close and find out what's going on," he adds. &emsp;&emsp;He says that large animals' sizes and behaviors make them interesting. Elephants are one example that he has painted. &emsp;&emsp;"Because I didn't go to art school, I didn't have the figure painting studies, so animals are my models," he notes. &emsp;&emsp;Bulger recalls that while painting oxen in Swanzey, the venue manager said, "Yeah, that ox looks like you. &emsp;&emsp;"I didn't know how to take it," he says with a laugh and continues, "You always put some of yourself into it; to join with the image you're creating, showing perspectives and feelings about it." &emsp;&emsp;While he is out and about, he's in observation mode, taking in his surroundings with his "mental headlights." But in the studio, his focus is completely on the image he is working on, almost having a sense of going into the image itself, being a part of it. &emsp;&emsp;"The whole process is meditative. If I have music playing, I might not hear the beginning or end of it. I lose track of my surroundings," he says. &emsp;&emsp;Yet, he doesn't get attached to his paintings. After finishing one, he moves on to the next. In some cases, one idea leads to another, and he gets a series going. &emsp;&emsp;"They're not sacred to me, though; there are always more," says Bulger. &emsp;&emsp;See more of David Bulger's work on his website, davidbulger.com, and in the Farm Directory section of this magazine. Diana Damato writes from Keene, New Hampshire.