Art Musings from inside the Bubble: Bryce Widom

"Spring Rolls In" by Bryce Widom

In March 2012, SmithKlein Gallery was lucky enough to catch up with one of our artists, Bryce Widom. We discussed everything from life to art. Here is our interview in written form:

SKG: Even with someone who comes off as not traditional, it's hard to avoid at least a few standard questions in an interview. Because most people like to know this first one, I will ask how old you were when you started drawing.

Bryce: My mom was a professional artist, so some of my earliest memories were of me sitting on the floor working on a drawing while she painted. My dad worked as a city manager, and he would bring home scrap manager reports. I would draw on the other side of the reports. I had plenty of encouragement and was surrounded by art materials, so it was natural that I kept an interest in art.

SKG: Did you know from this young age that you wanted to be an artist?

Bryce: No, it was more something that evolved over time. When I was about seven years old, my mom entered one of my paintings in a competition. My mom taught me to use a palette knife, and this painting I created that she framed and matted for me won a first place award in the contest. Throughout my life I have had so many interests, but even while exploring other fields, I always continued making art.

SKG: Are you a self-taught artist, or did you take classes?

Bryce: I didn't take any formal art classes except for a drawing class at Front Range Community College when I was contemplating a career in animation. I didn't continue after completing that class. At one point, the teacher jokingly told me that I was good enough to be teaching the class. Astrophysics was actually my field of study initially, but I was distracted by other classes in the humanities that seemed to be calling me. Eventually, I transferred to the University of Colorado at Boulder where I finished with a bachelor's degree in English (Creative Writing) and psychology.

SKG: In the Boulder area, you are known for your elaborate chalkboard art creations. How did you get started making such incredible pieces for local establishments such as the Mountain Sun?

Bryce: I began my career in graphic arts while working at the Mountain Sun as a cook and waiter. I had spent time doing so many other things before landing at the Mountain Sun. At the time, someone else was doing the artwork for the chalkboard there, but when he left, it seemed natural for me to take his place. Eventually, because of the work I was doing there, I was approached by bands and asked to make posters, logos, flyers and brochures, all without the use of a computer! One can imagine how things changed for me when I started using a computer.

SKG: How did you go from the graphic arts to fine art and end up with your work in an established Boulder Gallery?

Bryce: It was in 2002 or so that I had my first art show in Lyons. Painting was always something I had done, despite following my interests in other areas. However it was also something that I didn't do consistently. Instead, I would paint specifically for a show and then wait until the next opportunity. Through the years I would have little shows at coffee shops or tea houses, and every year my audience would grow. I didn't really intend to move into it full time, because it didn't seem possible. I took what I could. The more I did it though, the more it seemed possible, and then it became a reality.

SKG: Have you been influenced or inspired by other artists?

Bryce: Well, I can think of countless people who have inspired me, both artists and people outside of the art world. A few that stand out are:

NC Wyeth with his use of light and his ability to convey a sense of realness and human interaction within this world through his work. Somehow growing up in Alaska with its massive sky and the immense wilderness there made it so that I'm attracted to art that reflects a connection to nature.
Craig Kosak's paintings inspire me in so many different ways that it's hard to even put into words.
With Andrew Wyeth, especially his Helga series, I'm attracted to the starkness in his work. It's moving and intriguing. There's mystery with his subjects not always facing the viewer.
I'm also drawn to Michelangelo, the way he crafted his figures so perfectly, yet there's a rawness about them.
I've also find Van Gogh's work enriching.

Though I can be impressed with various artists -- and I'm always inspired by new and different artists too -- it can also be moments in nature or time with my family that motivates me. Often, it's an occasion or experience that finds its way into my paintings more than a specific subject.

SKG: Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?

Bryce: I never actually set out to be a painter, yet the deeper I go with it, the deeper the calling becomes. For me, painting satisfies the visual and kinesthetic aspects of myself. When thoughts come visually to a person, it can be very exciting to paint them as a way of expression. Painting for me has become more real now than ever. Whatever proves to provide someone with the greatest fullness and greatest freedom, that person should follow. More than having a suggestion specifically about becoming a painter, I would suggest that it's important to find whatever it is that keeps you aware, in the moment and alive. Find what it is that is most meaningful, rewarding and true to you and keep taking steps toward that.