By Shelbi LeMeilleur
Tim Vanya is a man of many talents. He has worked in a number of careers including a Houston police officer, boat crewman, cabinet maker, iron worker, and so much more. Now, he can add artist to that list. He uses his art to tell a story, and his two passions are Westerns and beautiful ladies.
Vanya’s journey to becoming an artist is a long and storied one. Some of the first commission pieces he did were for Texas A&M University. Vanya was making corps boot display cases when an Aggie mom asked Vanya if he would do a commission painting of Parsons Mounted Cavalry. This led to more projects including an Aggie Band reunion and commissioned work in the newly opened Zone at Kyle Field. However it was when Vanya’s wife got a job at Buffalo Ranch that he discovered a passion for painting Westerns.
“It’s an interesting bit of Americana,” Vanya explains. “At the end of the day, it requires a guy or a girl on horseback to herd cattle. ... It’s a wonderful story and it’s my job to tell their story in paint.”
It was during his trips to Buffalo Ranch that he met his favorite subject — Glenn “Doc” Cochran. Doc is a nationally renowned horse trainer and past president of the Andalusian Association of the United States, according to Vanya. “I met Glenn and started painting cowboys and never slowed down,” says Vanya.
Vanya’s other favorite subject is, as he says, “pretty ladies.” He works with models of all ages, and says he often develops a close relationship with them like that of a father or grandfather.
“When I paint people, painting is an intimate experience that’s not physical, but it’s emotional and mental, and there’s a lot of one-on-one conversation,” he shares.
While some of his “pretty lady” paintings are of nude models, Vanya emphasizes the importance of his art. “All people can think of is the lascivious sexuality — but it’s not that at all,” he explains. “Women are to be revered, I think, and honored — lifted up.”
No matter who or what the model is — Vayna strives to represent his subject as realistically as possible. “I paint representationally,” he says. “I don’t consider it photorealism, but pretty realistic.”
When Vanya isn’t painting in his art studio in Somerville, Tin Star Studio (named for the tin star police officers wear), he’s either teaching art classes or learning more himself.
“I really enjoy teaching,” Vanya says. “The capabilities I was born with is a gift that’s not mine to keep, it’s mine to share. If I can help somebody create a work of art, then it’s a good day.”
Don’t expect Vanya to slow down any time soon. Despite his many jobs and hobbies over the years, art is his passion. “I just love what I do; I absolutely love what I do,” he says. “I’m not happy if I’m not painting.”
