Art comes in many different forms. It can be drawn, painted, written, seen, heard, felt, tasted, utilized, or experienced, just to name a few.

Making and experiencing art can help you relax and simply enjoy life more. It can inspire you. It can cause you to change your mind about things. It can even change your life, or the world. But this is only scratching the surface of the tangible benefits that art returns in our culture.

I also like the idea that art and the act of creation can be therapy. We need more of that in the world. Art is therapy for the maker and the consumer. What I paint, design, write, or even what I cook, can literally impact my life or someone else’s life today with immediacy. 

This is the core of why I create. But that doesn’t stop me from continually asking the question. I’ve thought a lot about this, and I’ve come up with two answers.

First, I do this for me. This is the best advice that I’ve received to this point about being an artist of any kind. It isn’t about creating for others. If your focus is on satisfying others, your creations will suffer. If you’re painting, writing, capturing an image, or even cooking, I think you have to try to do it for yourself first. This is how you’ll create your best art. It won’t appeal to everyone, but I think that’s the lesson. Sometimes, nobody will even see or experience your art because it’s only been created for you. I’ve learned to be “ok” with this idea.

The paradox is that while I create for myself, I also want to positively impact someone’s life. I’d like to leave the world a little better than it was, and I hope my art can do that in some small way.

Maybe my thoughts will give you a new idea to ponder. Maybe you’ll make a small change because you’re able to learn from my stupid mistakes. Maybe one of my paintings will end up hanging on your wall, where it will have the potential to brighten your days. I can’t think of any better legacy than that. 

But, beyond my ramblings, I’ve found no better way to say it than the quote below.

“There’s lots of ways to be, as a person. And some people express their deep appreciation in different ways. But one of the ways that I believe people express their appreciation to the rest of humanity is to make something wonderful and put it out there.

And you never meet the people. You never shake their hands. You never hear their story or tell yours. But somehow, in the act of making something with a great deal of care and love, something’s transmitted there. And it’s a way of expressing to the rest of our species our deep appreciation.” ― Steve Jobs

About My Paintings

As a creator, I enjoy the process of creating art that isn’t centered around the idea of meticulously recreating an image from life. For that, I have photography.

The paintings that I create are generally abstract. They’re all about capturing a feeling. It’s about visualizing something that can’t actually be seen. 

I once heard an artist say, “I paint the wind,” and I like that idea. It’s about the challenge of capturing a feeling instead of the technical challenge of recreating an image from life.

My process for doing this is messy and constantly evolving, and that’s the part that I like the most. Many times, what makes my paintings and collage work interesting to me are the things that happen randomly when layers are applied over and over, or when paint is splattered, dripped, or sprayed over interesting textures. I’ve seen magic happen when I smear, scratch, layer, and just engage with the canvas in a flow state. It’s about the things that appear by accident, the things that could never actually be painted, that make it feel a certain way. Capturing this magic is the challenge, the goal, and the fun of it all.

The Sea

If I had to pick one thing that represents therapy for me in my life, it would be the ocean. At least once a year, my family makes an effort to visit the sea and just reset our lives. 

The problem is that I live in Ohio. So, my works have evolved to focus on creating a window into that feeling of being by the ocean, or on the beach, or with the sun and wind on my face. I am literally trying to paint the wind. 

My hope is that with this idea in mind, I can help you connect with the sea through my creations as well.

Advocacy

On this site, I will provide my thoughts, opinions, and advocate for many things. A primary focus for me is advocacy for the arts and the value of living a creative life.

I am also very interested in expressing my deep appreciation and awe of the sea. We need to protect our oceans and the life within them.

The ocean covers more than 70% of our planet, produces over half of the oxygen we breathe, and absorbs vast amounts of carbon dioxide, buffering us against climate change. It regulates weather, feeds billions, and supports biodiversity on a scale we’re only beginning to understand. Protecting the ocean and its ecosystems is not optional; it is essential for human survival.

I have no ambitions to create a movement on any front. But I can do my small part to create positive momentum. I’ll be exploring this goal using this website as a tool. My hope is that, maybe, I can help a few people to learn, appreciate, change their ways, or do their small part in their own way. Maybe they’ll hang something on a wall, or wear a t-shirt and make a silent statement. That would mean the world to me.

About Me

I’m a son, brother, husband, father, musician, abstract artist, maker, writer, photographer, graphic designer, entrepreneur, marketer, dog lover, music lover, book lover, Star Wars fan, cook, foodie, explorer, and an unrelenting busybody.

This website is dedicated to the “art” of all these things. It is an experiment that will always be evolving.

If you’d like a window into the mind of someone who’s attempting to be all these things and more, then please come back and visit often.

— Chris Auman