". . . a brush with nature"

Do you remember that classic advertisement where the cowboys were all horrified to learn that the salsa they were eating was made in New York City? They were ready to lynch old “cookie” for serving up something they considered less than authentic. After all, what could a city slicker know about making authentic Mexican salsa?

Now I am not for a moment saying we as artists should only paint those things we have experienced first-hand. After all, some of our best inspirations come from places we don’t actually see or touch, but experience in other intangible ways. What I do believe however is that we should paint with our own authentic voice. By that I mean be passionate about your art. Believe in what you create and what you do. Don’t paint only to fit the style of the day or choose your subject because it’s “trending.” Fashions (even in art) go in and out of style and trends eventually fade away.

I love being an artist and having the opportunity to paint those subjects I am passionate about. For example, I am passionate about animals and I paint them often in their natural surroundings or as portraits. I also like painting them in unusual settings, pairing them with still life items of similar names, etc. It is a lot of fun to imagine the idea, plan the painting and bring it to completion. A great example of this is “Redbreast” (shown above.) Although I have never actually seen a robin sitting next to whiskey bottles I still painted with what I feel is authenticity because of the joy and enthusiasm I felt as I worked on it. I felt great emotion. I was not just “phoning it in.”

"Momma?"

My work will probably never be the most popular or selected for mass marketing. You probably won’t find it on the walls of a big hotel chain or on the set of a television show. But it is often unique and it does start conversations with viewers at art shows. It does “speak” to people who often tell me they can tell how much I love what I do . . . how much I care about the subjects I paint. That means a lot to me.

When you paint with authenticity it will come through in your work. The art will be yours and viewers will recognize it as such. Your audience will be able to see the emotion and “heart” you have put into each and every stroke. They will feel the story you wanted to tell. It will be yours and yours alone . . . then it will become a shared experience with an audience eager to see the unique narrative you have portrayed. You will grow as an artist when you choose to paint with joy, passion and an authentic voice.