My Work

I moved to Colorado in 2021 from life as a Creative Director in the world of Advertising in Chicago. Since the day I moved here I have seen the never ending beauty that this state effortlessly provides on every lil adventure/hike I have been on. In fact, on my very first bike ride in the mountains a giant ram came charging down the path right at me. Encounters with wildlife out here happen very often, some close, some far in the distance. Have you ever been walking quietly in the woods, turn a corner, and boom there is some giant or new animal and you have a little moment? You stare at each other, and in a flash, they (or you) run off. This is the exact moment I am trying to capture in my paintings. There are little micro emotions in their faces and posture where it feels like you might even know who they are or what they are thinking. That is flat out magical. Magic is real if you look for it, and mother nature is thick with it.

This is my official first year as a full time oil painter. These are my Early Works. I promise to practice and improve every day for the rest of my life.

My Full Story

I have been an artist my entire life starting from my earliest memories. Called an “artist” by friends and family from a young age set me up for this road to explore and hone my skill. My first official job as a young man was a caricature artist at the Six Flags theme park north of Chicago. Being surrounded by full time artists of all ages (all much older than me) at the age of 15 stuck in my brain that one could make a living simply drawing and creating for other even if it was making fun of how they look.

Once I got into College I dove deep into Philosophy choosing it as my major and contemplating the life of a Professor. Near the end of college I knew an academic life did not fit. I taught myself how to design and create ads and websites and began a career in graphic design. Once I moved up the ranks to become a Creative Director in the big ad world of Chicago (I did this for 15 years) I once again felt empty and my lifestyle became too unhealthy to bare.

Knowing I needed a massive change fast I quit my job, and the entire industry, starting from zero again creating art on an iPad. Digital painting on an iPad scratched a part of my soul I had been missing. I started posting on Instagram and things changed fast. Orders came in and soon my digital art was exploding. Calls came in from celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Logan Paul, Busta Rhymes, Val Kilmer, Deepak Chopra and many others. Things moved fast and I was traveling every week for events and digital gallery shows. Then AI began and I saw it could create images. I knew the power to blow people’s mind with an image I had made digitally would carry much less weight now that people could type words into a phone to make wild images. I saw the writing on the wall again: Analog.

At the end of 2025 I decided I would oil paint every day until I mastered this new medium. At first it was intimidating but there was something magical about a physical object at the end, something that could hang on a wall, something removed from technology and very human. So here I am in my first official year as a professional oil painter. These years are my Early Works. This is the beginning of the rest of my life. Thanks for reading and if you would like, come join my ride.

-Wes