Brendan Coudal
Brendan Coudal with some of his 'new vintage' paintings.
I started painting relatively late in life, but always had an interest in art. Then in 2001, I picked up the paint set my Dad had given me a few years earlier and created my first watercolor of a beach scene. It looked pretty good and I was surprised I did it. I continued, taking classes with several highly-respected artists and learning much along the way. I specialized for a long time in marine-life, moving from watercolor to acrylic, to oil, my current medium of choice.
Then in 2006, for some reason, I was compelled to learn about illustration. Gil Elvgren, Albert Vargas, Norman Rockwell were just a few of the great artists I researched. Over several months I sketched hundreds of images capturing pretty, mid-century styled girls, but when I asked my wife to model for me she thought
I was crazy because I was taking time away from my marine-life painting commitments. Fortunately, she gave in and I painted my first 'pinup' girl. That first painting started my journey toward 'new vintage' style and I haven't looked back. My wife Nicole works with me, gathering historical research and helping with compositions.
My mission is to not only create fun images, but also to pay homage to great illustrators. I create paintings that evoke smiles, and that's all I need to keep me going! Enjoy my body of work. . .
--Brendan Coudal
