A Balanced Life

For me, art is about life. That means that my art expressions are a natural outgrowth of what I am experiencing. Or to put it another way, I find myself being more creative when I have a lot going on in my life: work, my boys, my girlfriend, my pals and of course, music. These things even me out and provide a wonderful combination of seasonings that flavor my life.

Music has always played a big part. It's what I did when I wasn't doing art. And that's the way it was ever since I was in Jr. high school: music and art were equal interests. Now I wasn't an actual student of music, I was a self-taught enthusiast of the garage band circuit, learning the craft while ducking beer bottles and dodging cowboy fights in Colorado bars, and later refining my skills playing in church worship bands in Southern California since 1982. I am still doing it and I love it as much as painting. The image above is from a concert we performed last Friday. My friend Tim is on the right. I usually play the drum set, but in this band I play congas, bongos, a djembe and other percussion instruments. It is the perfect counter-discipline to painting and drawing, and it's what helps give me a balanced life.

I encourage you to paint as much as you can, but just as importantly, indulge in your other passions: model trains, golf, skiing, writing, reading, needle point, movies, collecting Coca Cola memorabilia, whatever it is. It helps you be you, and helps you be a better, more honest, and expressive artist.