An Inspired Chat with Robert Wright of Cleveland

We recently had the chance to connect with Robert Wright and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Robert, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Before I get up I think of the in-progress paintings I worked on yesterday and imagine next steps, challenging myself to extend myself. I want to keep doing better work and fresh development to my work.
After a breakfast, I take my tea downstairs to my studio and take a good long look at everything. Decide on some colors to start with then work til midafternoon. Then wash brushes go upstairs for a light lunch and play with my dog Annie.
I swim or go to gym for some exercise, then dinner. We give Annie a good long walk and then relax , watching television til 10.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m an artist who creates abstraction based on figurative motion, which I’ve been doing for 52 years. The past few years, I’ve been going to modern dance and ballet rehearsals and drawing firsthand inspiration for the calligraphic gestures with ink on long strips of muslin. I am original and unique, I have yet to see anyone doing comparable work.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I realized early on my artwork in school was decidedly different when my kindergarten teacher told me and my mother that I had art talent. As I am deaf, I had to read what she wrote on the back of my artworks. It made me happy. All while I was in school, Friday was art day and my favorite day if the week. I was ten when they finally fitted me with powerful enough analog hearing aids so I can hear the world. I’ve always been an outsider looking in.

Is there something you miss that no one else knows about?
I miss the people who I was surrounded with as a kid. My parents and grandparents, my sister Elizabeth, Spec Reed who was an understanding neighbor, and Ursula Lanning, my first real art teacher, who later had a successful gallery in Columbus where I showed my work and started getting noticed.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
I don’t really know what the general public really thinks about me. And I really don’t care. My art friends likely see me as a quiet, talented old guy. I am polite and pleasant. I steer away from most conversations because I don’t hear very well and hate asking people to repeat themselves.
The real me loves my wife Laura and my dog Annie, I like to travel overseas, and I like to learn new things everyday. I ignore people who are arrogant, self-righteous, and self-absorbed. I have a low threshold for stupidity.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I believe I was born to be an artist. It feels most natural to me. Along the line I’ve been a newspaper boy, a short order cook, a tie salesman, a youth group leader in church, a janitor for a tailor, a swim team coach, a pizza delivery driver, a graphic designer, a little league baseball coach, a dishwasher, and a high school art teacher. None of those jobs fit me, all the while I kept working on my art, drawing everyday from whatever world I found myself in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.rwrightart.com
• Instagram: Rwrightartguy