Art Chowder November | December 2017, Issue 12 | Page 9

"Poppy Trio"
30 x 60” - Watercolor
There was a man there who worked as
an architect. He was a good guy, kind,
and did well. He made me think I’d
like to be an architect when I grew up.
So when I went to college, I studied
architecture.
In my first year, I had an opportunity
to take a watercolor class. I don’t even
know why, but I wanted to take that
class. My dad talked me out of it though,
saying, “Artists are flaky people. You
don’t want to do that.” So I didn’t, but I
was still interested.
What’s good about architecture is they
make you take art classes. Not only do
you have to design the buildings, you
have to create a picture to show the cli-
ent what it’ll look like. So I got about six
months of art classes, and that was cool.
I liked architecture, but I didn’t like 3D
rendering. My brain doesn’t work that
way. I’m a 2D guy. My designs were
always kind of funky, and bad. So after
three years, I realized I had a choice. I
could take two more years of classes that
I didn’t like, or, since I had enough cred-
its, I could graduate sooner with an art/
graphic design degree. Against my dad’s
advice, I switched my major.
I got a job right out of college and
worked in graphic design from 1989 to
2003, but I never quit painting. I just did
it on the side, randomly, up until 1999,
when I did my first Art in the Park show.
Someone told me that my paintings
were pretty good, and I should try to sell
them. So I applied for my first art show,
and got in. I did really well, sold five or
six originals, made a bunch of money,
and thought, “Wow this is great! I could
almost do this full time.” But I quickly
learned that type of success isn’t the case
at every show. The next show I did, I
actually lost money, because it cost me
more to travel there than I made. For the
next five years, I did art shows on the
side, but I always wondered—if I could
do more shows, could I make it full
time? Life in a cubicle just wasn’t for
me. So even though I enjoyed some of
my work, I decided I’d rather try to be a
full time artist and fail, than not try, and
never know what might have been.
So many people in life are too afraid to
follow their dreams. They’d rather be
bored to death in secure jobs they hate. I
don’t want to be that guy.
Now I love what I do. I miss the steady
paycheck sometimes. It can be tough;
but when I have a good show, it’s really
fun! It’s a crazy roller coaster, and it’s
never boring. My life is not boring.  
November | December 2017
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