Where Have I Been?

As I wrap up an art-changing 13 weeks of the Creative Visionary Program I’m looking back, and came across this post started in December. Back in October I joined a free class offered by Art2Life called ‘Breadcrumbs.’ For five days we had live Zoom calls with painter Nicholas Wilton and his team. Each day had a theme, and Day 2’s powerful question was “Where have I been?”

The question arose in the context of our past artwork. Nick also asked us to make actual maps of the places that were formative in our lives, to look at the symbols and colors that have always moved me.

Now that I’ve completed my first CVP I have a new larger perspective on where I’ve been. My understanding of and ambition for painting are much larger than they were three months ago.

So before I post about what CVP 2021 has meant to me, here is a look back at art paths I have trod.

Above is an aerial view of the magic place I grew up in, along the St Clair River border between Michigan and Ontario. There’s a plein-aire painting of the Stonycreek River, and another of the memory of my river view as a child, all from 2020.

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By looking back, I can turn and face forward into the unknown.

So that’s just my 21st century work. Earlier than this my digital archives are a bit scattered. That’s a project underway … consolidate all the ‘old media’ like still photos, CDs, zip drives and even a few floppy discs! I have never done a survey looking back at my earlier work like this. Wow. So I leave this here as food for thought. To be continued!