PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
OCTOBER 2015
2001. So his hitches were all during peace time. And you
might say he retired for love.
“I found myself in a position where I was kind of
interested in this young lady who already had orders to
go to Germany, and the Air Force was going to send me
to Korea,” he said. “So I said ‘no thank you,’ retired as
a senior master sergeant, and went to Germany to date
my future wife.” His knowledge of Germany and the
language came in handy as he helped her and her three
children settle into their new home. In August 1999 he
popped the question, she said “yes” and they married in
Denmark.
“As part of that marriage, we talked about it, and I
said I would be a stay-at-home dad,” Van Der Linden
explained. “We thought it was important that the children
had a parent in the house. So I was a stay-at-home dad
for 12 years while she finished her military career.” She
retired Aug. 12, 2011.
“We got married on her birthday and she retired on
her birthday,” said Van Der Linden. “I’m sure she did
that for me because I’m feeble-minded — that way I only
have to remember one date.”
Van Der Linden and his wife, Kathryn, moved into
their “dream home” near Weatherford (“the first place
we’ve lived where we unpacked all of our boxes”) in
June, so the retirement celebration happened here in
Parker County. He said the y chose this area for its rurality
and close proximity to the Metroplex and the art culture
(he has high praise for the Kimball in Fort Worth) and
international airport there. Also, the schools were appealing (they have 6 children total, ranging in age from 6 to
27). He added that Parker County is very vet-friendly,
which is important to him. He acknowledges his debt to
those who have served their country and, according to
his website, offers “resume/social media head shots and
portraits GRATIS to wounded warriors as well as deep
discounts to any active duty, military veterans and first
responders… .”
Van Der Linden pursued a Bachelors of Fine Arts in
Photography at the Art Institute of Fort Worth, graduating
summa cum laude in 2014, the following year working at
the Institute as assistant director of admissions. Currently,
he is focused on freelance photography and tutoring in
basic photography and watercolor painting.
“Before that (acquiring his BFA) I thought I’d be working in healthcare, which is what I did in the military, and
using photography to pay for vacations,” said Van Der
Linden.
Asked what role art plays in society, he said: “It’s really just a snapshot of our morality, of our ethos — the way
we think about life and our character as a people.”
Having finished his post-secondary education later in
life, Van Der Linden, “the old man” of the class, interacted with much younger students, young seekers who
impressed him.
“So I was face-to-face with the ‘zombie nation,’ all
the stuff that’s just so bizarre for our generation,” he said.
“But those kids are just as passionate as I was, and there
are some incredibly talented kids. And with the Internet
and Photoshop and all the things that are [and will be]
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available, I think we’re going to see within the next 10,
20, 30 years a huge increase in the role art plays in our
day-to-day lives because of these kids… .”
In part, Van Der Linden chose the freelance route
because he wants do things more on his own terms, to
be more his own person, not so encumbered by “cookiecutter” methodology. But, of course, as in any pursuit,
there are tradeoffs and acquiescence — some things in
some types of photography are just expected, traditional.
The key is striking a balance that allows for creativity —
imposition, perhaps.
Concerning advice for those traveling on or embarking upon the path of photography, Van Der Linden had
this to say: “What I tell young people all the time is I like
to quote people who are smarter than me. The thing that
Ansel Adams said was that ‘the most important element
of any photograph is the 12 inches behind the camera.’
His whole thing was to pre-conceptualize, make sure you
know what you’re shooting before you shoot. The other
advice I use for digital photographers is put yourself in a
box. It’s easy to go out and shoot 70 images to get two. I
have to go out on a shoot with only one lens, or take the
camera off of repeat and shoot just one image at a time,
or only shoot with a tripod. Things like that put you into a
box that forces you to slow down and think… .”
On fine art he said: “One of the things my art instructor in Germany told me was when you start off on an
image you have to consider that it’s going to be a masterpiece. Not every one will be, but you have to treat them
all that way.” Van Der Linden said he tries to approach
all his work in this manner, always mindful of the importance of blending creativity and technique to produce a
thoughtful work made of one’s best efforts.
Russ Van Der Linden believes the key to his future
success is living up to his longtime mantra: “Do the Right
Thing Right; On Time; First Time; Every Time.” Words to
live by that he intends to heed.
And it might just work. He has a history of being in
the right place at the right time. “My life has been one
of those things where I’ve fallen into a ‘bed of roses’ so
many times it’s been ridiculous,” he said.
Russ and
Kathy