Why I Am Following Russ to Maine–And Why You Should, Too
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Figuring out what we want to be “when we grow up” is one of the biggest questions of an individual’s life. Some of the more serious-minded people may figure it out in high school. Most get it worked out in college. And some, like me, never decide what they want to be when they grow up, so they just don’t.
Then, there are those few, like Russ, who know all their lives what they want to do. Russ knew early in his life that he was going to be an artist. Every year, all summer long, he would help his father set up easels and equipment for his father’s painting workshops. Then, though his brother went off to fish, Russ would stay and learn to paint. He would watch the instructors, watch the students, and watch his father. By the time he officially picked up a paint brush, he had a good idea what he was supposed to do with it.
Over the span of his career, Russ has painted from small postcard-sized paintings to huge murals, the largest being 22 feet high by 200 feet long. And he did this all single-handed!
(Novatek Mural, Provo, Utah)
That is why I will follow him to Maine. No matter how long it might take, or how difficult the work, he gets it done–beautifully! Russ has such a love for Nature, for the rural countryside, and for this Nation. Even still, after all the places he has painted, he stops and marvels at a sunset or the grace of a sprawling farm.
As Russ and I talked about driving to Maine and what we could accomplish along the way, another purpose for the trip was born. We have both been concerned about the somewhat volatile political climate permeating our country right now. We began to see this trip as an opportunity to remind people of America’s great heritage and strength. We looked at it as an opportunity to blur the political lines, in a way. We want to encourage unity and to remind people that we are all neighbors, brothers, and sisters.
We are inviting you to join us on this quest. Please follow along with us as we prepare and travel across the Nation. Feel free to leave your comments about how much you love this country, and why.
If you could commission Russ to paint a particular place in the US, where would it be?
Crowdfunding: A New/Old Way to Fund Our Project
As Russ and I started making plans for the trip to Maine, we realized we would need some money–quite a bit, actually. Not only will we have the basic travel expenses, but Russ will need art supplies, and, in order to have the impact on the hearts of the people that we hope to meet along the way, we would need to get the word out with advertising.
Russ, being the “big idea” man that he is, suggested using crowdfunding. http://youtu.be/0AjV9DQy1-s I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant by crowdfunding so, thanks to Google, I got online and found out a few things that I will now pass on to you.
Wikipedia explains crowdfunding as “the practice of funding a project or venture by raising monetary contributions from a large number of people, typically via the Internet. … The crowdfunding model is fueled by three types of actors: the project initiator who proposes the idea and/or project to be funded; individuals or groups who support the idea; and a moderating organization (the “platform”) that brings the parties together to launch the idea.” (The platform we are using is Indiegogo https://www.indiegogo.com/
Crowdfunding isn’t new. An early precursor of the crowdfunding business model waspraenumeration, a subscription business model, which was used in the 17th century to finance publications planned but not yet printed. (The Statue of Liberty and America’s crowdfunding pioneer”. BBC Online. April 24, 2013.)
Crowdfunding is an exchange of Value for Value. At first quick glance, crowdfunding looks almost like a handout. It is not! There are two ways to receive value in supporting a crowdfunded project.
- Rewards: Rewards or perks are offered for the contributor’s donation. For example, Russ’ reward for contributing $55 is one 8×10 inch signed and numbered high quality gilclee print on paper, which is would normally be sold for $129. (You save $74!)
- Equity-based: The backer receives a share in the company.
Another great article on crowdfunding can be found at http://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaprive/2012/11/27/what-is-crowdfunding-and-how-does-it-benefit-the-economy/
Painting the Heart of America is using the Rewards platform. By the end of our trip, Russ will have many plein air sketches, quick studies, and finished paintings that we would love to share with contributors to our campaign. Here are some examples of the types of rewards and savings you could receive:
$75 One 8×10 inch signed and numbered high quality gilclee print on stretched canvas, with a personal thank you for your pledge written on the back of your limited edition print…PLUS a Painting the Heart of America Tour T-Shirt! 
This typically sells for $179.
$275 TWO original hand painted 8×10 inch plein air quick studies painted on location somewhere? USA, signed by the artist, plus a postcard from somewhere? USA with a personal message and a thank you signed by the artist! 
Two of these studies, unframed, would typically sell for $1200.
Two of these studies, unframed, would typically sell for $1200.
$500 TWO FRAMED original hand painted 8×10 inch plein air quick studies (retails for $750 each; a savings of $1,000!) painted on location somewhere? USA, signed by the artist, plus a postcard from somewhere? USA with a personal message and a thank you signed by the artist!…PLUS one Painting the Heart of America Tour T-Shirt! 
Two of these paintings, framed, are valued at $1500.
This is an awesome opportunity to get Russ’ art at a discount, and contribute to a good cause at the same time!
Crowdfunding is a great new way to make a difference, not only to the person who owns the project, but to all those who will be impacted by the completion of the project being funded.
Help Painting the Heart of America make a difference! Contribute here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tour-and-paint-the-heart-of-rural-america
Thanks so much for your support!
Karen & Russ Ricks
Preserving Rural America Through Art and Story
In 1871, the Federal Government sent the Hayden Party to the Northwestern wilderness frontier of the United States for exploration. The party was led by geologist Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, who chose additional experts in various fields to accompany him. Some of the members included in this spectrum of explorers were surveyors, scouts, journalists, scientists, a photographer named William Henry Jackson and Thomas Moran, the expedition’s artist.
The preservation of the beauty of our nation’s pristine wilderness exists today, primarily because of the inspiration and influence of Thomas Moran. Moran’s painting, “The Grand Canyon Of The Yellowstone”, when he presented it to congress, led to the creation of Yellowstone National Park, which spurred the creation of additional national parks throughout America, for preservation and protection.
If it wasn’t for the inspiration of a single artist, perhaps our beautiful parks today would have eventually been polluted and exploited for greed and profit.
Just as it is important for us to preserve our beautiful national parks, we should take caution to not brush aside the preservation of our rural/agricultural landscape.
“Rural America, which includes some 55 million people and 80% of the nation’s landscape, contains a diverse array of historic resources. Rural historic places include a variety of resources, like farmsteads, ranches, Main Streets, country stores, schools, churches, mill villages, bridges, scenic byways, fieldstone walls, archeological sites and much more.
Increasingly, our rural heritage is threatened. Major economic, cultural and demographic shifts are bringing changes to rural communities, not all of them welcome. In some rural regions, shrinking agricultural, forestry, mining, and manufacturing employment is leading to population loss, neglect, and abandonment of historic structures and sites. In high growth areas near cities and resorts, new development is literally consuming the historic rural landscape. The National Trust calls attention to threatened historic sites through its annual list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. More than 20 rural endangered places have been included on this list since 1988.” ( National Trust For Histortic Preservation )http://www.preservationnation.org/information-center/saving-a-place/rural-heritage/
Our Painting the HeART of America Tour, is in reality a Preserve Rural America tour. Our goal is to travel to and stop for a day or two in rural areas to paint their local history on canvas and record in our journal their traditions, their history, their stories, their concerns and hopes for their future. We will be on the road with this important project for about 5 weeks. We will start in Central Utah and finish in Presque Isle, Maine. This is why our Painting the HeART of America project is so important to us and because of it’s size and scope, we need your financial help to make it happen. We are asking you to please go to our Crowdfunding website and make a donation.
Take a moment to check it out on Indiegogo and also share it with your friends. All the tools are there. GET PERKS!, make a contribution, or simply follow updates. If enough of us get behind it, we can make ‘Tour And Paint The HeART Of Rural America’ happen!
Russell & Karen Ricks
What We Plan To Do, Why We’re Doing It And How You Can Participate!
Hello,
I’m writing to let you know about ‘Tour And Paint The HeART Of Rural America’.
I’m writing to let you know about ‘Tour And Paint The HeART Of Rural America’.
Take a moment to check it out on Indiegogo and also share it with your friends. All the tools are there. Get perks, make a contribution, or simply follow updates. If enough of us get behind it, we can make ‘Tour And Paint The HeART Of Rural America’ happen!
Below is a map of the general areas we will be stopping in as we travel on our Painting The Heart Of America Tour from Payson, Utah to Presque isle, Maine and all areas in between. Our goal is to capture our rich and diverse Rural American History daily in paint, while my wife Karen will research, journal, blog and discover the story behind each subject I put on canvas. Our goal is to use Art and Story to to bring Americans together and share what makes our nation so AWESOME! This is an ambitious project and we need your help to make it possible!
Sincerely,
Russell & Karen Ricks
Painting The HeART Of America Tour
Russell & Karen Ricks
Painting The HeART Of America Tour
P.S. When we return from our tour in a year from this September, we invite you to come to My One Man Show at the Springville Museum, September of 2015 to see the results of our year-long efforts! We would also love to shake your hand and personally thank you for helping us make our tour possible!
http://www.myscenicdrives.com
http://www.myscenicdrives.com
Launch!
We’ve launched! No, we haven’t left for Maine, yet. But we have launched our Crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tour-and-paint-the-heart-of-rural-america/x/7779362
It has taken a good deal of time and effort to put this together. Russ has been at his computer for weeks, getting everything planned out and entered into the Indiegogo site.
Part of the preparation was to make a Pitch video. This was definitely uncharted territory for both of us. Our daughter, Christina, and her two adorable children jumped in to help. (See a little clip of it on YouTube: http://youtu.be/p50YHNoPM_I Russ also did a great video using his cartooning skills. Still, they were both somewhat lacking.
Our daughter, Suzie, showed the videos to her friend, Chris, who took pity on us and offered to help. (My words, not his.) So, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, Chris and his friend Amanda, Suzie, Russ and I headed for a beautiful studio on Pierpont Ave in the middle of Salt Lake for a shoot.
As I sat and watched them work, it was a great relief to have someone that knew what they were doing taking care of this piece of the Indiegogo puzzle for us. They drew out of Russ his passion for both his art and the Painting the Heart of America project. They skillfully captured the essence of Russ. It was wonderful for me to see him through their eyes. We are very grateful to Chris, Amanda, and Suzie for all their help.
We discovered that “acting” makes you hungry, so afterward, we stopped at a great little restaurant called “Moochies”, in Salt Lake just a few blocks from where we had been filming. They specialize in meatballs, so they have a mural of a girl with a giant meatball on the side of their building. The food was delicious and the service was great. (Moochie’s was recently featured on “Best of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives”.) http://www.moochiesmeatballs.com/ 
All in all, it was a satisfying day. Please check out Chris and Amanda’s great work in our behalf at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tour-and-paint-the-heart-of-rural-america/x/7779362 And while you are at it, donate, and share the link with everyone you know!
Nice to Meetcha
My husband, Russ, and I are about to embark on a great adventure. We are driving from Utah to Maine to kick off a year-long stay in Maine so Russ can prepare for his one-man show at the Springville Museum of Art in Springville, Utah, in 2015. http://www.smofa.org/
We are inviting you to come along! We don’t expect you to tag along with complete strangers, of course, so let me introduce us to you.
We are Russell and Karen Ricks, from Utah. Right now, we live in Payson, Utah, but as of yet, we haven’t figured out where “home” is. I guess it is just where ever we are living at the moment.
Russ and I have been married nearly 15 years, and we have 14 children. (This is where we hear audible gasps and see wide-eyed stares.) No, that is not a typo. We actually have 14 children. When we married, we each contributed seven children to the mix; and we are grateful for each and everyone of them…usually. (Haha! Just kidding kids!) And now we have 21 grandchildren. Grandkids are the BEST!
I have spent most of my time teaching piano, my favorite thing to do. I also dabble in the book arts, making hand-bound journals and altered art books. It is a great way to present my poetry.
Russ in an artist. He has known since he was very young that he was going to be an artist. His father was an artist and his mother was a musician, so they both understood and accepted his ambition to become an artist.
He was given many opportunities to learn and grow his talent. It was a great challenge for his high school teacher. She had to create projects just for him. He ended up painting a mural on the wall of the gymnasium.
Through his father’s art workshops, Russ was taught by several great teachers. He was able to absorb a lot of information, which then developed into artistic skill. Throw natural talent into it all and you end up with a true Artist!
Russ’ favorite medium is oil and his subjects are landscape, rural, or whatever strikes him at the time.
We both feel very blessed in the life we have had together so far. We haven’t always had enough money, but we have definitely led a rich life!
We can’t wait to hear from all of you, and perhaps meet you along our way from Utah to Maine. We will keep you informed of when and where we are going next.
(Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Painting-The-Heart-Of-America/475764509224751 )
