Celebrating 40 Years of Painting Full Time
This year marks my 40th year as a full-time painter.
When I pause to calculate what that means, even I’m surprised. If I averaged 40 paintings per year over four decades, that would total approximately 1,600 original works. Today, my pace is different. I now complete about 25 to 30 paintings annually, with a stronger emphasis on refinement, depth, and quality.
Over the years, my work as a professional artist has evolved — not only in technique and subject matter, but in intention. Early in my career, painting was about growth and exploration. With time and experience, it has become about clarity, resolution, and raising my own standards.
As both a painter and instructor, I’ve learned that longevity in the arts is built on continual growth. Forty years in, I am still learning.
Why Artists Should Keep a Special Painting
There are a few of my original paintings hanging in my home. Most stayed with me because they didn’t sell through galleries, though I still value them. But one piece stands apart.
It’s a large 4′ x 4′ painting hanging in my dining room. It has never been offered for sale. I love the image, and I am completely satisfied with how I painted it — something rare for any professional artist.
I believe it’s important for a painter to occasionally keep back a significant work. Not out of attachment, but as a benchmark. When creative doubt appears — and it inevitably does — that painting becomes a quiet reminder of what is possible. It sets the bar for everything that follows.
Originally, I thought I would hold onto this painting temporarily before eventually placing it in a gallery. That was more than ten years ago. It remains exactly where it began — on my wall.
Continuing to Grow as an Artist and Instructor
After forty years as a working painter and art instructor, my focus is no longer on producing more work. It’s about producing stronger work.
Fewer paintings each year. More intentional decisions. Higher standards.
There is currently another 4′ square canvas on my easel. It is about halfway finished and developing well. Large-scale paintings demand conviction and confidence. Whether it ends up in a collector’s home, a gallery, or on my own dining room wall remains to be seen.
What matters most is that I continue to grow — as a painter, as an artist, and as an instructor.
Forty years in, I am still refining my craft.
And that feels like the right way to celebrate this milestone.