I’m sitting here working on this week’s Western Vault newsletter. The focus this week is western art. As I get deeper into it, I am realizing that there really is no end to what art really is. It can be paintings, sculptures, woodwork, leatherwork, jewelry, clothes (wearable art), and even interior design. Beyond that, the mediums are also endless- canvas, bronze, clay, cloth, leather, wood, your home, gourds, and the list goes on. No matter what medium is used to create whatever piece of art is created, there is one common denominator. That is vision.

Gourd Art by Jodi Finkenbinder

Leather Art by Clair Kehrberg

Bronze Sculpture by H. Clay Dahblerg

Canvas by Steve Devenyns

All of the artists that I work with create their one-of-a-kind pieces with their own hands and are guided by a unique vision- whether it be a specific event, a story from their own lives, something or someone they love, or just something that means so much to them that they want to share it with others.

When I met Andy & Cheryl Sanchez at a show in Grapevine a couple of weeks ago, I was admiring their woodwork. I had seen it in pictures, but pictures do no justice to the beauty in every one of their pieces. The way that they let the wood guide their designs is absolutely amazing to me. The visions that they have for each piece of juniper are guided by the wood itself- the direction of the grain, the imperfections, the unique qualities and personalities. Did you know wood had personality? I didn’t until I saw Andy & Aaron’s work firsthand. WOW.

Redwood Bar Table by Andy & Aaron Sanchez

At the show, Andy caught me looking at one of Aaron’s sculptures called “Business Distractions.” I understood most of the story without any explanation at all, but Andy completed it for me. The story is of two businessmen’s attraction to one woman. They watch in admiration as she glides down the sidewalk. I got that, but Andy told me the rest of the story. The raised piece of wood that I portrayed as the sidewalk is wavy to represent the woman’s perfume trail. A woman walks down the sidewalk, leaving a beautiful trail of perfume that captivates the men as she passes by. Aaron’s unique vision of this particular piece of wood is something I would never be able to see in its raw state. That vision is what separates great artists from the rest of us.

“Business Distractions” by Aaron Sanchez

See the sidewalk and the perfume trail that follows the woman? I love this piece. I’m so thankful for artists that can see beautiful things in what I see as the most ordinary objects. My world would be so dull without them!