Here we go!

It’s not just what we express, but how we express it—and how that expression connects with someone else.

I’ve been thinking a lot about expression lately. What is it that makes something meaningful to us? Why do we connect with certain paintings, music, movies, or even the way someone talks about something?

I think expression is a big part of it.

A painting can be beautiful, colorful, interesting, or simply look wonderful in a room. There’s nothing wrong with that. But sometimes there’s something more happening. There’s an idea, a feeling, or a certain way of looking at something that comes through in the work. It’s not always something you can put your finger on immediately, but you recognize it.

Expression is more than the subject.

I think that’s true in almost everything we do. It’s not always what someone is talking about, but how they express it. Two people can talk about the same subject and leave you with completely different impressions. One might simply explain something, while another makes you interested in it, makes you think, or even makes you feel something.

I remember this from college and my experience with Lucy Wehn. I really enjoyed the way she taught and presented paintings. She would elaborate on the work, explain what she saw, and bring so much enthusiasm into the discussion. She genuinely seemed to love what she was doing.

At some point, it wasn’t even just about the paintings anymore. It was about her. I recognized how much she enjoyed what she did, and I wanted to tell her. I did, and I meant it.

Was I learning so much from what she taught, or was I just impressed by how she taught it? Well, that’s another essay!

But that experience stayed with me because it showed me something about expression. Sometimes we’re just as impressed by the way someone communicates an idea as we are by the idea itself.

Expression creates a connection.

Think about why we watch movies, read books, listen to music, or look at paintings. We’re interested in what other people have to express. We want to see how they think, what they notice, and how they interpret the world around them.

Sometimes we recognize something familiar. Other times, someone introduces us to an idea we hadn’t considered. We might not even agree with everything they’re expressing, but we appreciate the way they’ve presented it.

That’s part of the enjoyment. It’s the opportunity to experience something through someone else’s eyes.

Expression doesn’t have to come from suffering.

When we talk about artists like Vincent van Gogh, there’s an enormous amount of story surrounding his life and the way he expressed himself through painting. His struggles became part of how people understand and connect with his work.

But I don’t think meaningful expression has to come from suffering. It can come from curiosity, enthusiasm, humor, experimentation, or simply enjoying what you do.

That’s something I recognized in Lucy. Her enthusiasm was part of her expression. She didn’t need a tragic story or some extraordinary explanation. You could see that she loved what she was doing, and that alone made an impression.

I think that’s worth recognizing.

So why do I share my work?

That’s really where all of this comes back to me as an artist.

People have expressed interest in my paintings. They see something they like, perhaps the colors, the composition, the subject, or how a particular painting might look in their home. And that’s wonderful.

But I also think there’s something more to share. There’s a person behind the painting, ideas behind the decisions, and a whole process that goes into creating something.

Sometimes I spend hours talking about an idea because one thought leads to another. Something as simple as a cactus can turn into an entire conversation about creativity, design, and the way we see things.

That’s why I write these blogs. I have things I want to express, and writing gives me another way to do that. It’s not always about selling a painting or explaining how I made it. Sometimes it’s just about sharing what I’m thinking.

Maybe someone will connect with it. Maybe they’ll see something they hadn’t considered before. Or maybe they’ll simply enjoy reading it.

And that’s enough reason to share.

In Conclusion

I’ve been working through a lot of ideas lately, and sometimes I think you have to step away from everything before you can recognize how much you’ve been carrying.

After getting some much-needed rest and having that dream about the Western amusement park, I came back with a different perspective. Today, a lot of these thoughts seem to be coming together. The artists who influenced me, the teachers I remember, the paintings I’ve created, and the reasons I want to share them.

It’s interesting how one idea can lead to another, and how eventually you begin to recognize a connection between things that might not have seemed related at first.

Maybe that’s part of what expression is all about. We have something inside us that we want to communicate. Sometimes it comes out in a painting, sometimes in a conversation, and sometimes in writing.

And sometimes we don’t fully understand what we’re trying to express until we take the time to put it all together.