[Editor’s note: The following article was written by Tim Minton and reprinted from The Commonwealth-Journal, Somerset, Kentucky. Fred Thrasher is a Clinton County native who currently resides in Somerset, Kentucky]

After 37 years, Fred Thrasher’s artistic career is coming to an end.

Thrasher, 67, one of Kentucky’s most renowned and respected artists, will be offering his last commercial print entitled “Family Heritage” for sale. He is limiting his final piece–a serene snow-blanketed farm landscape–to 500 signed and numbered prints, and 150 artist proofs.

The print is part of a series that Thrasher has collaborated on with his son, Dennis, and his grandson, Colby, who each contributed to the original painting.

Thrasher described the moment as “bittersweet” but said he relishes the shared opportunity to officially retire with family present and the ability to have them contribute to his final print.

Even though his professional journey as an artist who focused on landscapes, nature scenes and historical landmarks has ended, Thrasher insisted that he will continue to paint as a hobby in retirement.

Thrasher’s life has been a journey. Although he painted professionally and sold his work for 37 years, Thrasher has been an artist nearly all his life.

Fred W. Thrasher was born in Clinton County, Kentucky in 1938. He attributed his aptitude for self promotion and the marketing skills he learned as a commercial artist to his father.

“He would drive his old pickup truck filled with firewood downtown,” Thrasher recalled. “He kept his old banjo behind the seat, and he would start picking and singing bluegrass music.”

This would soon draw an interested crowd who would either listen, sing along, or join in with their instruments.

“After a couple of tunes,” Thrasher said, “he would say I’ve got the best firewood in town; you can cut it with a pocket knife.”

Before long, Jack Thrasher would have the entire truck load sold after playing a few more songs.

Thrasher was entirely self-taught. Growing up in a modest environment in Clinton County helped provide him the reflective memories for which his paintings are famous. Drawing and painting would become an obsession he developed during grade school, ascribing his inspiration for drawing and painting to his fourth grade teacher.

“She really encouraged me and praised my drawings,” Thrasher said. “Back then, we didn’t really have any formal art classes. I remember one day she had the class to do a drawing and whoever had the best one would win free pencils.”

Inspired by the competition and prize, Thrasher ended up winning the contest and then immediately sold the pencils–his first act of commerce from his artwork.

He continued to draw sketches in school and came to love art.

Like many of his era in rural Kentucky, he stopped attending school after the eighth grade to find employment. Instead of selling pencils, he found a method of making some spare money for his art skills while employed as a helper with a 7 Up truck route.

“I started with painting signs for grocery stores,” he noted.

Thrasher also gave a lot of credit to his family for his inspiration and success as an artist.

At the age of 19, Thrasher married his wife, Betty, and they have been together for 57 years. The couple had six children.

Thrasher said he could have never achieved all he has without the encouragement and support from his family.

Perhaps out of a necessity of having a wife and six young children, he strove to learn how to become more accomplished at doing other jobs besides painting to provide an earning for his family.

He first used his sales ability as an insurance agent before utilizing it with his art and became one of the most productive insurance agents for his company.

In 1968, he became the first person in Kentucky to earn an agent’s license without a high school education. Eventually, he became the top-selling agent writing more than $1 million in insurance policies.

Relying upon his father’s instruction, Thrasher discovered that creating sketches, paintings, and the pieces of art for his insurance clients was a helpful supplement in selling insurance policies.

While developing a strong work ethic and tenacity as a top salesman, he also began to expand his artistic endeavors with oil paintings in 1968. He dedicated the same persistence to learning how to paint with oils as he had with selling insurance. However, painting was still just a hobby.

“I knew I couldn’t paint fast enough to make a living,” Thrasher said.

The transition from hobby-painter to full-time artist came once he learned how to utilize his marketing ability to sell limited edition prints. His first limited-edition print (which is now a highly sought after collector’s item) was of Clinton County High School that he painted in 1977. He sold 1,000 copies for $10 each. During that same year with $10,000 in savings, Thrasher decided to leave his job as an agent and devote himself full-time to painting and selling his work to galleries.

“I told my wife, give it two years and if it didn’t work out, I’d go back to a real job,” Thrasher joked.

At first, he didn’t know what to paint for a commercial success.

“I was driving home one night on Highway 90 and stopped off at a stream to get a drink of water. I just looked around at how beautiful it was and thought this would be a painting I would buy and put in my home.”

Initially, Thrasher used his social contacts from the insurance business as he traveled around the state trying to sell his prints at galleries and other locations. As with every sole proprietor, success did not happen overnight.

“A lot of times I would trade prints for antiques at some antique store to get my art out there,” he said.

Eventually, more galleries started to buy his prints and he established a sales route around Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana. He also attended various conventions and the annual Kentucky State Fair, setting up a vendor’s table. As his paintings became more in demand, Thrasher drew upon the influence of Norman Rockwell’s nostalgic themes. He became known for his paints of nature scenes, landscapes, and historic sites.

With no formal art training, it could be argued that Thrasher is a one-of-a-kind artist born with God-given talent. However, he feels everyone has some artistic talent.

“I realize that God did give me some skills and interest with art, but, I’ve also had to learn, almost obsessively, through repetition how to paint.”

“Talent is developed from the outcome of being obsessed about whatever skill you want to learn.”

Now, after 37 years of commercial painting and sales, Thrasher is ready to retire as a full-time artist. The collaborative project with his family was a joint idea by all three.

Dennis still paints quite a bit, and Colby has started to sell some of his work, while attending college, Thrasher said. “I foresee them along with my son, Ronnie, continuing to not only keep the on-line business running, but also to produce more paintings of their own.”

He recognizes that he has been blessed to earn an income at something he truly enjoys.

“I look back on it and realize how blessed I’ve been; It’s truly been an honor for people to enjoy my art enough to be willing to buy it and hang it in their homes.”

He said he will miss the friendships he has built up over the years from selling his art.

“I wish there was a way I could properly thank all of the people who have bought my artwork. They have helped me make a living and raise six children these past 37 years, and I just want them to know what a honor it has been for me.

“I can never repay what a privilege it’s been to be that artist people choose to have in their homes.”

Of course, Thrasher’s prints can still be purchased on his studio’s website: www.thrasherprints.com. He said he is far from giving up painting all together.

“I will probably paint until I die.”