Andrew Wyeth - 1917 - 2009

When did I decide I wanted to pursue Art? I always loved making art, especially drawing, but it wasn't a career path that I was encouraged to pursue. After a stint in corporate America I knew I wanted to do something different with my life but had no idea what. On my first vacation to Maine, in the Summer of 1999, I went to the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, ME. I had never seen any of the Wyeth's work in person and I was blown away by the emotional resonance in the paintings. One of the reasons I didn't pursue art seriously right after High School was because all of the art being created at the time seemed so outside of what I was interested in. It was abstract and conceptual and didn't move me at all. The Farnsworth Museum changed that perception, and when I got back from Maine I signed up for a painting class and haven't looked back since.

Early on in my painting career, I happened to be in a small gallery on the Upper East Side of NYC. Their catalogue mentioned an Andrew Wyeth painting so I asked to see it. They waved me back to a small office, and there hanging on the wall was one of his paintings. I was all by myself with a million dollar painting. It was amazing, there was so much tension and emotion in that simple work of art. It was titled "Intruder" and I made a sketch of it (see above). Andrew Wyeth is one of my heroes, he painted what he wanted to and to hell with the critics. He had an immense talent and worked in two of the most difficult mediums out there. And he continued to paint up until his death at 91, yesterday January 16th, 2009. I will miss him.