Randy profile picture

Randy

I paint castles for a living but I'm no prince ;)

About Me


I've been a full time professional artist since 1978 (wow, I'm gettin' OLD!!! On the other hand, I'm slightly younger than John Travolta, Denzel Washington, Ray Liotta, Oprah Winfrey and Kim Bassinger... and only a year older than BILLY IDOL~!!!! YEAAAHH).I've also been a gallery artist for the Walt Disney Company since 1990 and have works on display at their parks & resorts worldwide. Additionally I've created Wizard of Oz pieces for MGM, Turner Entertainment and lots of similar companies. (All images above are the copyrighted property of Disney) I also have my darker, "misery loves company" side consisting of Gothic, haunted, abandoned and menacing images. This sort of helps me balance out the "oh-so-happy" pieces I'm mostly known for. (All images above (C) Randy Souders)I was permanently disabled as a result of a sports injury in 1972 (OUCH.. super megga bummer!). There's a good chance this could be reversed if the government would fund stem cell research. Oh well... I discovered life isn't over but it sure is different!!! Despite that major setback, I've managed to become quasi semi-sorta famous (seriously, at last count have 25-30 pages on Google alone!). I've been featured in a few books, at least twice on CNN worldwide, Parade Magazine (90 million readers), a couple of national TV programs... who would have thunk it?!!! Heck... I've even been an on-air vendor on one of the two big home shopping channels (I'll let you guess which). So I was able to to be seen by 90% of the homes in America! You may be seeing me there again soon so brace yourself...LOL!!!I also serve on the board of a Kennedy Center affiliate that provides arts opportunities for over 6 million artists with disabilities each year all over the world. It's a tremendous program with some of the most amazing, inspiring artists on earth.I'm interested in networking, friends and corresponding with anyone else that stumbles in, staggers by and gives a hoot:) So drop me a line and CLICK HERE to check out my website www.randysouders.com If I ever get off the computer and do some new paintings you're all invited to my next show! Cheers!!! ---Randy

My Interests

Please check out my website: www.randysouders.com

Aside from my artwork, I spend most every waking hour collecting, ironing, folding, stacking and arranging used brown paper grocery bags into nice, neat, tidy little piles throughout my house. All the bags are sorted by size and manufacturer and must be facing the same way with the bottoms folded upward. I constantly run 6 dehumidifiers 24/7 to keep them from wrinkling as they must remain perfectly flat at all times. I am currently writing a 1,200+ page book about my experiences called "Bag Boy" which I hope to publish but can't bear the thought of using up all that yummy paper (you still reading this??? LOL).

I'd like to meet:

Most anybody... and, yes, that includes YOU! (yes you... imagine that :). I also have interest in meeting other artists, wanna be artists, former collectors, Disney enthusiasts, people with or without disabilities, and most anyone else for that matter!!!

Music:

Oh, hands down... Lawrence Welk!!! YEAAAAHH!!... "Anna-One-A, Anna-Two-A." Ya just cant get enough accordian driven psycho polka music from geeky guys in pastel colored suits in my book!!! Throw in some Perry Como and Percy Faith and call the riot squad!

Television:


Oh it has to be OPRAH! There's nothing I like better than having a good cry in the afternoon while sipping one of those International Coffees and painting my toe nails. "YOU GO GURL"!!!

Books:

"Chronicles of Courage" by Jean Kennedy Smith & George Plimpton (Random House ISBN 0679782982), "Journey to Here" (ISBN 096806678X)and "Enabled in Words: The Real Lives, Real Victories of People with Disabilities" (ISBN: 0976656019). Ok... so I'm profiled in all of these... so this is a shameless plug.. so sue me:)Usually I read rediculously long, exhaustive artist's biographies. It's amazing what a depraved, debauched lot we are.Currently reading "Nothing if Not Critical" by Robert Hughes and "The Life and Works of Thomas Eakins" by Gordon Hendricks

Heroes:

Mostly they're kids with disabilities... they just seem to have this direct pipeline to God.