Sharing my work and story
I’m always talking about ideas, but I’m talking about big ideas. Epic ideas. Epic artists. Who influences me? The masters, the heroes, the teachers. The bigger idea.
What I aim to do. Who I aim to be. Something bigger than myself. Something bigger that maybe somebody will see, that connects with them.
When I think about that, I get emotional. I respond to it because that’s the heart of what I try to do as an artist. It’s not just about making paintings. It’s about reaching for something bigger than myself and hoping that somewhere along the way, someone else might see it, understand it, or connect with it.
Sharing My Work
I’ve always been interested in ideas. But I’m not just talking about ordinary ideas. I’m talking about big ideas. Epic ideas. Epic artists. The people who influence me, the masters, the heroes, the teachers. The people whose work makes you stop and think about what’s possible.
The bigger idea.
What I aim to do. Who I aim to be. Something bigger than myself.
And maybe something bigger that somebody else will see, recognize, and connect with.
When I think about sharing my work, I realize it’s about more than showing someone a painting or hoping they’ll like it. It’s about sharing something that has meaning to me. Something I’ve spent time thinking about, experimenting with, working through, and trying to bring into the world.
Maybe someone sees something in a painting that I didn’t even recognize myself. Maybe it connects with an experience they’ve had, an idea they’ve carried, or simply something they enjoy looking at every day.
That’s the bigger idea of sharing my work.
The People Who Make a Difference
I’ve mentioned the artists who have influenced me. Picasso, Warhol, Hockney. These are people whose work made me think differently about art and what an artist could do. But there are other people who influence us along the way. Sometimes they’re the teachers who take the time to look at what we’re doing and help us see something we might not have recognized ourselves.
I remember Lucy Wehn. I really enjoyed her approach as a teacher. I remember presenting a painting, and rather than simply judging it or criticizing it, she got up and elaborated on the work. She talked about it, explored it, and gave it attention. I loved that. I appreciated the way she saw things and the way she communicated them.
Later, I submitted an anonymous evaluation praising her. I thought I was being anonymous, but she recognized my handwriting. So much for anonymity!
But that little story says something about the bigger idea. We remember the people who take an interest in what we’re doing. The people who encourage us, who make us think, and who help us recognize something in ourselves.
I’ve talked about the masters, the heroes, and the teachers who have influenced me. Lucy was one of those people in my own experience.
And maybe that’s part of what sharing my work is all about. We take something we’ve created, put it out into the world, and hope it might mean something to somebody else. Along the way, we also recognize the people who helped us get there.
The bigger idea is that we’re all part of something larger than ourselves. Sometimes it’s a painting. Sometimes it’s an idea. And sometimes it’s simply someone taking the time to see something in what we’ve done.
That Teacher
What I remember most about Lucy Wehn was the way she elaborated on the paintings and how she presented them. She genuinely enjoyed what she did. You could see it in the way she talked about the work, the way she explained things, and the enthusiasm she brought into the room. At some point, it wasn’t even just about the art she was discussing anymore. It was about her. I could see how much she loved what she did, and I told her that. I meant it.
That’s what stayed with me. Sometimes the people who influence us aren’t just the artists whose work we admire. They’re the people who bring their own enthusiasm, passion, and love of what they do into everything they share with others.
