Extraordinary artwork for ordinary folks

By David A. Maurer

| 978-7244

MADISON — In a fascinating display of talent and technique, the rapid flick of the paint brush produced a swath of field grass on the watercolor paper.

It took Lou Messa a matter of seconds to create the realistic patch of green with its appealing soft look. The impromptu demonstration provided an excellent example of the magic a master artist can produce.

Finished paintings hanging on the walls of Messa’s studio gallery in Madison County range from landscapes to a rendering of an old rusted pickup standing in a field. Each painting, be it of an empty barn stall or an abandoned farmhouse, can easily evoke a sense of nostalgia.

For more than 35 years Messa has made his living selling his paintings and prints to ordinary folks. He learned long ago that to flourish as an artist one needs both talent and business savvy.

“I paint what people would like to see hanging in their homes,” said Messa, whose work can be seen and purchased locally at Swetman’s Amish Furniture and Gifts in Riverside Center just north of Charlottesville. “I’ve learned that these are paintings they can relate to or will bring back nice memories.

“I like painting machinery, vintage aircraft, old cars and motorcycles. Sometimes in a farm scene I’ll incorporate an old tractor or hay rake in a field. These all add to the composition of the focal point.

“But I’ve learned that landscapes sell better than still life, because it’s something everybody can relate to. I might have a painting of an old airplane sitting in a field, and a husband will love it. But the wife is likely to say it would be nice in his office or den, but she wants a landscape painting for the living room.”

The business of painting

One doesn’t have to talk to Messa long before realizing the business of selling paintings is as much art as job. He has never forgotten advice his late father gave him when he decided to try to make a living as a fulltime artist.

The elder Messa told his son he could find 100 guys with a dollar in their pocket, but it’s hard to find one guy with $100. That bit of counseling is still reflected in the artist’s pricing.

Original paintings by Messa, including frames, start at $200, and go up to about $950. Commission work usually starts around $850, and will rarely top $1,000.

“I believe no matter where your pricing range goes during your career, you should always have something for the person who can’t afford the higher-end items,” said Messa, whose work is carried in eight galleries from New Jersey to Florida. “That shows respect.

“What often happens is an artist will start selling his or her paintings, and then feel as though they have to raise their prices. All of a sudden they have priced themselves out of the market.

“Where do you go, then? You can’t have a clearance or half-off sale, because that just isn’t done. I’ve known really good artists who thought their work was superior to everyone else, and they priced it accordingly. They’re not around any longer.”

Messa discovered his talent for art when he was 14, growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. It was the late 1950s and many teenage boys at the time were enamored with a risque, hot-rod driving rodent named Rat Fink.

The drooling, bug-eyed caricature was the creation of the late Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. Messa was one of countless artistically inclined teens who honed their artistic skills by drawing pictures of the green, long-tailed rogue.

The future Madison County resident went one better by creating images of the raving rat on the back of T-shirts. Through this he discovered how much joy his artistic gift could bring others.

“I started out drawing things I didn’t have or couldn’t afford, which back in the ’50s were things like hot rods and motorcycles,” said Messa, who has been working and living in Madison County since 1971.

“Rat Fink was real popular back then, and all my friends knew I could draw. They would bring me white T-shirts, and I would stretch them over a board and use felt-tip pens to draw Rat Fink in these hot rods.

“They loved it. In high school I took all the art classes they had, and the teachers thought I had a talent and wanted to see me pursue it. One of my art teachers, Mrs. Morton, applied through the Women’s Art League for me to get a scholarship they awarded to outstanding students.”

An Army artist

Messa got the scholarship, and after graduating from high school in 1963 was accepted at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. He attended the school for three years before dropping out briefly to earn money to continue.

The Vietnam War was rapidly escalating at the time, and before Messa could get back in school he was drafted into the Army. At the reception center he was asked if he had any special talents and he mentioned the academy.

This resulted in Messa being assigned to Fort Belvoir as an illustrator. For the rest of his two-year tour of active duty he created training aids.

“After I got out of the service I went to work for the government at Cameron Station in Alexandria,” Messa said. “I basically did the same thing I had when I was in the Army.

“I worked in a small cubicle in the center of a building that had no windows. I felt pretty much caged in. After three years I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do as a career. I was married by then so I decided to give myself six months to see if I could make it as a painter.

“We moved here with the understanding that I would go back to work in the city if it didn’t pan out. Arts and craft shows were just starting to grow in popularity. I quickly found a market for my work at shows in Northern Virginia, and went from there.”

Robert Dern has been collecting Messa’s work since they first met in 1976 at the Sugarloaf Craft Festival in Gaithersburg, Md. That year there were about 250 exhibitors at the event.

“Of all the exhibitors at the festival, Lou was the only artist I bought a painting from,” said Dern, who is retired from the Army and lives near Richmond. “His paintings impressed me so much that I started collecting them, and now have 15 of his large works.

“I truly believe Lou is one of the finest American painters we have right now. I think he’s a Virginia treasure. He sees the beauty in the world that very few people see.

“I think the secret of great artists is their ability to capture that on paper or canvas. I know my life is calmer simply because of having his paintings in my home. Just being able to walk up to one of his paintings and spend a little time looking at it makes my blood pressure go down.”

Messa started out as a wildlife painter, but lacked the anatomical knowledge necessary to excel in that field. When he discovered landscapes sold better than pictures of wildlife he went in that direction.

The father of four found eager buyers for his art, especially when he started producing paintings of local landmarks and buildings such as Old Rag Mountain, Hebron Lutheran Church and local general stores. Periodically he’ll do a visual inventory of all the original paintings he has on hand to determine what to paint next.

“I might see that my portfolio needs more snow scenes or evening paintings,” Messa said. “I like to stay at least one or two months ahead of the seasons, because you can’t sell snow scenes in February.

“Snow scenes sell well into late fall right up until Thanksgiving. Come hard winter, people want to see spring, greenery and flowers. Come summer they want to see fall colors.

“You can be the greatest artist around, but if you don’t know how to market your work you are going to get chewed up. You have to be a businessman as well as an artist or it’s not going to work.”

Chamber commendations

Messa was recently recognized by the Madison County Chamber of Commerce for his contributions to the economic health and quality of life in the area. One of the remarks made during the award presentation was that just about every doctor’s office and business in the Madison and Culpeper area has at least one Messa painting in it.

For years Sharon and Don Hoggard had admired the Messa paintings they’ve seen in different establishments. When they wanted a painting done of their new home in Etlan they knew who to go to.

“I don’t know how to explain what it is about Lou’s work, but there’s something that just touches me,” Sharon Hoggard said. “We had him do three original paintings for us, and he did a beautiful job on each of them.

“One is of our view of Old Rag. The other is my husband’s favorite view of Double Top Mountain and the third is of our house. The painting of the house is totally amazing.

“There’s a corner of the roof that reflects on one of the windows, and he got all of that. He got everything so perfectly.”

Messa works with acrylic paint on watercolor paper. After working in the same medium for 37 years he’s comfortable with it. Nonetheless, he continues to broaden his skills, and will even introduce different colors to his palette.

“I try to improve every day,” Messa said. “Normally, when I do a good painting, I’ll say, ‘That’s great, now I have to get rid of it.’ The reason is, I don’t want to get caught up in my own work.

“You have to get rid of your work, and do another one of the same caliber or better to continue to grow as an artist. My career shows it’s possible to make a living as a painter, but you have to know what’s pleasing to the potential client.

“You can paint the avant-garde or disturbing pieces for yourself if that’s what you want. But if you want to make a living, and keep those brushes wet, you’re going to have to do something the public is willing to pay money for.”

More information and examples of Messa’s work can be found at www. loumessa.com.