lifestyle
Relationships: Married to an Artist
I married an artist. I didn't mean to--it just happened. In my many years of singleness I dated a surfer, a med student, a developer, and others…but never anyone quite like Geoff. I was drawn to him immediately. He was interesting and different, and I liked that. He wasn't trying to be like everyone else. He was happy, poor, and smart. He was a hard worker. He would work as a serigrapher by day and then work at his art studio until midnight or later.
Occasionally Geoff would find time for body surfing. He liked cheap tacos and foreign movies, and it was refreshing just to be with him. I often found myself hanging out like a groupie at his studio. Things just happened there--fascinating characters floated in and out, impromptu jam sessions erupted.
He worked in an old converted fire house with high ceilings, and artist bays that had once been stables for the horses. There was a building next door that housed artist lofts. There I met people I would never have met in my life…my now boring, mundane life that I had previously thought was so cool. It had nothing on Geoff’s life. Now, twenty years later we are married and still going strong.
Geoff eats, drinks, and breathes art. It is infused in his very being. He sees the world differently than most of us. He notices the actual colors of every shadow on a hill and the structure and line of an obscure building. EVERYTHING is a potential painting! We miss a lot of exits because he is looking… looking at the sky, the landscape, the houses, the trees, the people, the birds, everything! It is endearing. I love it!
Being married to an artist is very interesting! I have found myself his creative partner in every way. We work closely together developing future shows, photographing, analyzing paintings, and pricing. I am the critic, the psychologist, accountant, and cheerleader. I love being married and my many different roles, and would not change a thing. Of course, it would be nice to have the steady paycheck, and sometimes I wish for "predictable". Then I breathe and look around. I have it all! An interesting life that not many can claim. And because I have been so heavily involved in Geoff's art I have discovered my own art bones as well.
I have become passionate about it over the years and know without a doubt that if art, in any form, is the drive in the life of a loved one--married or not-- it is important to be supportive and understanding. Get involved, ask questions, visit museums and art galleries. And when they stop and look at a sunset and point out all the different colors, don't rush it. Take their hand and have a good look yourself. You won't regret it.
This is a three part series. Next week I will be focusing on how to find and follow different artists with the third week about how to display art in interesting ways.
Do you have someone special in your life that is an artist? What has your experience been?
Susan lives in Boise, Idaho, and is a self-taught artist and a jack (jane?) of many artsy trades. She is married to a professional artist and has two great teenagers. She is very involved in her community and church. She loves friends, family, movies, eating out, laughing, and vacationing in warm destinations! She manages her husband's blog- dailydoseofpainting.com where they post a small painting almost every day! You can also follow on Twitter @dailypainting
Latest posts by Susan Krueger (see all)
- How to Display Artwork Creatively - February 27, 2019
- Hobbies and Projects: How to Create an Art Mosaic - January 12, 2019
- How to Find and Follow Artists - February 20, 2013
