Listening to People

One of my favorite parts of sharing artwork isn't talking about the paintings.

It's listening.

Whenever I have the opportunity to display my work, I'm always struck by how quickly conversations move beyond the artwork itself. Someone points to a bird and tells me about the pair that nests in their backyard each spring. Another person remembers a favorite tree from childhood or the flowers their grandmother grew. Before long, we're no longer talking about watercolor—we're talking about the connections and memories it carries.

I was reminded of that while participating in a benefit for the Westrick Music Academy.

The day was filled with beautiful music for sure, but what stayed with me afterward was the conversations. Between performances, people wandered over to look at the paintings, and before long they were sharing stories about birds, gardens, favorite walks, and places that had become meaningful to them over the years.

It reminded me that art rarely ends with the artist.

Once a painting is shared, it invokes someone else's experience. A simple watercolor of a bird might remind one person of a childhood backyard, while another sees the trail they walk every morning. The painting becomes a starting point rather than the destination.

I think that's one of the things I enjoy most about painting subjects from the natural world. Although each piece begins with something I've observed, it often sparks someone else's observation in return.

Those conversations are among the most rewarding parts of being an artist.