Timothy Raines finds freedom through abstraction

Sarasota artist Timothy Raines' work is centered around subject matter he loves — usually cars, sports and fishing. The brands he brings to life in his work are often luxurious, but to him, it's about more than materialism.

"I love things that are handmade," he says. "I love when the luxurious and the handcrafted come together in the form of something like an exotic car."

His paintings, which he describes as his own spin on abstract expressionism, employ the use of drip-splashed paint on canvas to bring a sense of action and abstraction to subjects that are typically founded in realism. His downtown studio is lined with detailed splash paintings in various stages of completion — athletes, sports team mascots, fishermen and his go-to subject: cars.

"I've been fascinated by cars since I was a kid," he says. "I always come back to them in my work.

Through a process of trial and error, Raines developed his unique style. He starts with an outline, then drips paint from several feet off the ground, layering and mixing colors until he has a final product: a detailed image comprised of hundreds of tiny paint drops. He says he enjoys the in-the-moment nature of the technique, which doesn't allow him any breaks.

"I like the idea that I have to get it done now," he says. "There's no choice. You can't let it dry and come back to it; it has to be done wet. I like that pressure — I really perform well under it."

Despite his commercial success, Raines says he got a late start as a professional artist. Artistically gifted since his childhood, the former technology salesman didn't begin painting professionally until the age of 40, but he quickly found his niche, and he says its given him a newfound sense of freedom.

"I like art for freedom," he says. "I got tired of the office job. I was outside sales, but it wasn't the freedom I enjoy now. Being able to do what I do and have people like it, and also want to pay for it is uplifting and highly rewarding."

Raines invited us into his studio to take a look at his unique drip-painting technique.