We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Casey Cheuvront. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Casey below.

Casey, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

One of the difficulties in being a fine artist is defining what that means. It’s popular, and generally accepted these days, to say things like “Art is anything that you say it is!” and “If you made it, you’re an artist!” I believe that denigrates the efforts of those who genuinely want to learn and elevate their craft – and I do discriminate between craft and art, having been (and being) both an artist and an artisan. Early on I knew I wanted not only to make things, but to make them well.

This is not to say that art, in whatever form, should not be part of daily life – on the contrary. I think if it were, we would all develop a greater appreciation for the difficulty inherent in the production of truly excellent works, the dedication and sheer labor required to do so, and the sacrifice many artists make in pursuing the work. I believe people need art like they need air and water, and that without it we are not fully alive.

If I were to do it again, I would have made my art a bigger part of my life sooner. I would find more time for it and work harder at it, longer. I have always sought mastery and learning. I don’t think I will ever achieve it. but innate curiosity is a great creative fuel. I took every art class I could get my hands on, but that was not enough; you have to take the right classes from the right people. I have always wanted to learn the “proper” way to do things – challenging in an area that (since the 60s, anyway) is celebrated for having no “proper.” way. (Check out the TED talk on that if you want to learn more – I think it’s called something like “Why is modern art so bad?”)

The need to make a living, lack of support, and lack of confidence – and for some, a lack of commercial success – all contribute to a life path away from the arts, and if we are fortunate enough to find our way back, we can only be grateful to be headed, at last, in a more satisfying direction. In a perfect world, creatives would be able to pursue their learning more whole-heartedly, without the pesky needs of providing self-sustenance. To speed that learning process, therefore, two things: make time for making it, and learn from the best you can afford. Then do it, over and over and over and over and over again.

It’s delightful to imagine that art somehow just happens, that all we need to do is sit back and wait for the Muse to visit to be properly inspired, and then we will throw something together that will somehow be brilliant. That is, frankly, a load of bollocks. Art – at least elevated art (I’ll use that term in lieu of “fine art” because there is a lot of modern art that is fine but doesn’t properly fall under that categorical description) is work, and requires a substantial investment of time, energy, and, yes, money, if you really want to be top of your game. Does that sound snooty? Maybe. But I challenge anyone to find a way to put, say, the David or “Girl With a Pearl Earring” or “The Sailmakers” on par with…oh, lets say spin art, or poured paint, no matter how well poured that paint may be.

I do think one of the most essential things that makes one recognize their artistic bent is being in a more or less constant state of – hopefully mild – dissatisfaction. It’s that discomfort, the discrepancy between what we imagine and what we create, often only temporarily assuaged by what we consider a successful creation, that, returning again and again, drives us to work toward excellence. We are dissatisfied because our artistic eyes open. Our perceptions change. Work that made us happy last year is consigned to the burn pile this year. And as we learn to see, we begin to understand why what we thought was satisfactory is not, and begin to look for ways to make it better. Someday I hope to produce something (anything!) with which I am truly satisifed, if not completely happy. I’m not sure I’ll live long enough at this point!

That dissatisfaction is your greatest tool, but only works when coupled with genuine, and hopefully directed, effort. By the way, this is why so many truly excellent artists and artisans will sigh (at least inwardly) when told “Oh, you’re SO talented! I wish I were that talented!” To be honest, a hard-working creative with mediocre gifts will likely outshine one with natural talents who does nothing to improve themself, though that “naturally talented” artist may look good right out of the gate. There really is no substitute for work. Well, perhaps AI, these days – but that’s another story, and begs the question of what art is to the maker.

All of this is not to say that art and creative pursuits cannot be enjoyed by almost anyone – as I said, it can, and should, be a part of daily life for all of us; humans are designed to be makers. This could be anything from painting to sculpture to cooking to dance to restoring old cars. But just because I can throw a fine coffee mug, that doesn’t make me an artist. Think about it; even the language describes effort. “I love your work”; “a body of work”; “working artist” – so much for inspiration!

I’ll leave it with Terry Pratchett to debunk the ‘wish-upon-a-star-and-be-an artist’ theory at last: “If you trust in yourself. . .and believe in your dreams. . .and follow your star. . . you’ll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren’t so lazy.”

― Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I create impressionist style oil paintings that make nature and wildlife come alive for those who love the Southwest.

My favorite shoes are hiking boots. For years I explored the wildernesses of the Southwest, hiking, backpacking, hang gliding and mountain biking – interacting with our wild places up close and in person. This has profoundly influenced my work. I believe we are incomplete without a connection to, and appreciation of, the natural world, and that we should cherish and protect it. To honor that end, I create impressionist/realism oil paintings for those who love the Southwest landscape and wildlife, so that my collectors can share in that spiritual relationship. I want to promote deeper respect and connection with our vanishing wild places and the creatures that call them home.

I paint outdoors often – “en plein aire” – and participate in these events two or three times a year. I teach and demo for local art leagues and guilds, and show locally and regionally because I believe it’s important for people to be able to see the work in person if at all possible.

I am largely self-taught, which means not that I have figured thing out on my own, but that my course of study has been largely self-directed (except in my early years.) I have sought out some of the most excellent instructors working in my field, and study under them as often as is practicable.

Since I paint plein air often, may of my pieces are smaller; 8×10″, 6×12″, etc. I have also painted some very large format work; one of my larger commissions (30×60″) hangs in the Cavasson Business Park in Scottsdale. I work primarily in oils, but also teach watercolor/ink for the Yosemite Conservancy once a year, and for fun also have a series of intuitive abstracts in mixed watermedia. All this can be seen on my website at www.caseycheuvront.com

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I think they’re a great way to get your money clean.

Seriously, I don’t see the point as they relate to (ahem) “real” art. Is it something like having the digital version of a Prada handbag?

The influx of AI art on the market creates additional questions. One of which is “what is art for?”

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Serious art students today, as well as those who just want to create occasionally, have tools that weren’t thought of when I was a kiddo – YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, the internet in general. Instruction is a click away. I belong to several online art critique groups, some for a fee, and all have been very useful. Truly there is no excuse these days for NOT finding a way to get feedback on your work! And if you want to be what I think of as a “casual creative” – by the way, all my discussion of working toward excellence should not be taken to mean that I don’t value or understand the need for creativity in daily life – the resources are infinite and largely free. Even a casual scroll through IG (well, before the last algorithm change, anyway) provided me with quick clips on other artists’ modes of execution that could be incorporated into my own study. That said, there is no substitute for personal instruction. Find a local artist whose work you admire (or artisan, or craftsperson) and study with them, if you can. Your life will be immeasurably enriched.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.caseycheuvront.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheuvrontcasey/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/casey.cheuvront; https://www.facebook.com/CaseyCheuvrontArtworks
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-cheuvront-b74b983/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLruQPuwEx84WRXxpJDwuAw

Image Credits
All images provided are mine; the large raven painting was painted by permission of Charlie Alolkoy from his original photograph. (Charlie now owns this original painting, and would be a great person for you to connect with, BTW.)