Worship Musician December 2019 | Page 28

watercolor for him, a cowboy riding a bucking bronc, with dirt flying. I’ll do watercolors for gifts. For charities they are expecting guitars signed, but I’ll be like, “Here’s some art that I did”. It’s really a curve ball for charity work. [WM] You’ve collaborated in songwriting with Nashville’s best, and have been covered as a co-writer and solo writer by Merle Haggard, Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Clint Black, and so many more exceptional artists. Was it difficult for you to learn how to move your thoughts to your heart, and from your heart to your fingertips in songwriting? [Steve] Wow, that’s really well said. I think that was the hardest lesson for me writing when I was younger. I would go into these meetings with publishers and they’d go like, “That was good, but…” and I’d walk away and go, “Darn it. I’m not hitting this”. One thing I learned those songwriters have to be really brave. They are bearing their soul. You are really exposing yourself. I was always afraid if co-writing with someone and feeling like, “I’m not going to say this, I want to say this”, but that’s not what bearing your soul means. It got to a point where I just said I’m throwing it out, slinging it out. I’m saying what’s in my heart. I’ve been laughed at a couple times, “seriously you’re saying that”. Well, ok that’s what I “Chet” - a watercolor painting by Steve Wariner who does that for sort of a living. My brother meant. I learned to just basically bear my soul and not giving you a you-know-what. It is what and forth. it is. I really started writing for me. I was just Terry draws. My brother Kenny paints. We’ve always thought that’s what everybody did. As a This is my latest thing that I’ve done. I took a totally writing for myself and we were lucky to young kid I used to draw and paint and always photograph out west at a pow wow I went to. have hits, to have number ones. I was like I’m gravitated towards watercolors. I do paint, not It’s pretty good size for a watercolor. I shot this so grateful and lucky. We were on a roll and I in oils so much, but in acrylic medium some, picture of a guy dancing in Lander, Wyoming. never thought about pitching it to anyone else. mainly watercolors. I’ve always loved it. I did a This is my favorite thing that I’ve done. I did Then one day my wife Karen said, “You know show a few years ago at the Tennessee State a painting for Garth (Brooks) as a gift. I did a you should really throw these songs at other Museum, really my first big show I ever did. I’ve artists”. I go, “Well, you know, they are really for done a few shows over the years. It’s more like me, I tailor them and I don’t even think about a hobby for me. It’s more like therapy in a lot of anyone else. We are on a roll, why would I”? ways. That pool house out there, I just started She kept nudging me and I threw a couple out slowly moving my stuff, my easel, over there. If there and we got this response. I was really I’m feeling burnt out on songs I’ll go out there shocked to be honest. The first song I shot out and I got the waters out there. I’ll paint for a few there an artist picked up my song and did it and I was like, “Oh my God. They are interested in days then go back to music. I’ll kind of go back Steve Wariner Producer’s Medley 28 December 2019 Subscribe for Free...