When I was growing up I lived twenty minutes from Andrew Wyeth. Every time we drove by Keurner’s Farm I would feel such a deep sense of peace. The fact that Andrew Wyeth reflected that farmhouse back to me, back to all of us, made a deep impact on me. It made me feel connected. It let me know that my home, where I live, the roads I travel on, are seen by eyes other than mine. I would think about the big book of Andrew Wyeth paintings we had on our living room coffee table and recall how he made that simple house inviting and yet private at the same time.
That’s the special feeling I want to give people through my art. I want to paint as many homes in my neighborhood as I can. I want to capture the space we all share and reflect it back. I want people to look at my work and say, She lives here, She’s one of ours.
When the new year starts I’ve got a plan. I’m going to make flyers with my contact info on it, pictures of my house portraits and my pet portraits and try and drum up some work. I’ve been thinking a lot about clients, and character, and the types of interactions and working relationships I want to have. I want to bring what I can to others, be of service, contribute to the world around me in some way. I want to expand my business.
I don’t know where this initial step will take me, but the urge to do it felt like it came from my Higher Power, or from my muse, as Steven Pressfield would put it. It felt like inner guidance that shouldn’t be ignored. You gotta start somewhere, and I’m planning on starting, literally, next door.
I also want to get to know my neighbors. I want to be able to drive around the neighborhood and think, Oh such-and-such’s decorations look great, or such-and-such’s landscape is new. I have lived in my neighborhood fourteen years and I only know a handful of people. I think making art for them would be a great way to change that.
I know aspiring to be like Andrew Wyeth is bold. He was an amazing artist but he also was someone who was focused on what was in front of him. He was focused on his world, not the world out there. I feel that way too. I don’t want to worry about the big broad world. That’s too overwhelming. And, there’s too much going on. I think with social media and now zoom, my world has expanded so far, and there’s so much that I like about that, but I also want to narrow my focus too.
I’ve heard a lot of people say that when we stopped having local newspapers we stopped paying attention to local issues. We had huge turnout in November for the elections but local people are projecting that not even half that number will come out for local elections this spring. We are electing city council members and Mayor and most residents apparently don’t care.
That’s another motivating factor for me. I want to focus locally. I want to find clients here, where I live. I’m not forcing anyone to get a painting of their house or their dog, I’m just offering my services to people who are inspired. People who are moved and excited. That excites me.