Fantasy is focus of art exhibit at Heider Center

By the time he was in third grade Tim Kobs, was making and drawing his own comic books, already hooked by the power of imagination and art. His interest in fantastic images has held steady ever since, and this month he will be bringing his fantasy landscapes and portraits to the Marie W. Heider Center for the Arts in West Salem as part of the Heider’s 2008-09 Visual Arts Series.

Kobs, who grew up in the Madison area, got into oil painting in high school before moving to La Crosse to study commercial art at Western Technical College.

“I taught myself to use watercolors after moving to La Crosse,” Kobs said.

After graduating from Western, Kobs remained in the area, working as a commercial/graphic artist for 23 years. He managed the printing department at Franciscan Skemp Medical Center before working at WinCraft in Winona. WinCraft is a supplier of souvenirs, pennants, buttons and bumper stickers for the NFL, NASCAR and other professional sports organizations.

Kobs’ stint at WinCraft came to an end right after 9-11, when he got laid off.

“I’ve always felt that things happen for a reason,” Kobs said. “I was on unemployment for nine months and that ran out just as the art fair season began. I’ve been doing this (making a living from fantasy art) ever since,” he said.

Every year, from May through December, Kobs does art shows all over the Midwest, then paints through the winter months at his home in Trempealeau.

“I feel lucky to be doing what I love,” he said.

The first year was stressful, but some of the stress was relieved by the fact that his wife Amy had a regular job — she’s a counselor at Sand Lake Elementary in Holmen.

In Kobs’ work, fairies, dragons and wizards dominate.

“Pretty much everything I do is fantasy related. Lately I’ve been doing more fantasy landscapes,” Kobs said. He started out with watercolors but has transitioned into acrylics lately because they allow him to add layers of color.

“The inspiration is different for every painting I do. Ideas come into my head and I’ll see the finished product in my imagination,” Kobs said. “For me, the creative part is what is enjoyable — sometimes the actual painting can be tedious.”

Would he still like to do comic books? “Probably not. It takes a unique talent to do that. You have to be able to work really quickly and I’m probably too much of a perfectionist,” he said. “People look at my work and say ‘You must have a lot of patience,’ but it’s not so much patience as it is that I’m a perfectionist.”

In the end, Kobs just hopes viewers take away something positive from his exhibition. “I like it when people get enjoyment from my work,” he said. “My paintings tend to tell a story, which is why people tend to think my work has illustrative qualities.”

AT A GLANCE