About Me
The story so far…
My name is Dustin Goodrich and I appreciate you taking the time to visit!
Background:
I grew up in a small mid-western town in Illinois, received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Accounting from Eureka College (another small mid-western Illinois town) and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Illinois State University located in Bloomington, Illinois (a bigger mid-western town). There isn’t anywhere in my background where formal art training was something I did or ever occurred to me.
Artistic Journey:
I picked up a paint brush for the first time in February 2021, right on the cusp of turning 44 years old. I am married with one teenage child. For my entire adult life I have contributed to society via the daily grind of the usual, corporate finance/accounting type job. I still do that job to this day; however, it does not define me as it did in the past.
In early 2021, I consciously put thought into how I might embark on something artistic in nature. Throughout my life I have always been an obsessive music consumer as well as a voracious reader. In fact (nerd alert), when I read a book I pair a particular record to it and listen to only that record on repeat for the duration of the book. The record serves as a soundtrack and also helps with detail recall. I have now encountered countless times where I’ll hear a song and it’ll take me right back to the book. In early 2021, I was in search of a way to become a “producer” of something rather than just a constant consumer. Enter the painting endeavor.
I first started with a pack of five, 16 x 20 inch canvases purchased at Hobby Lobby for $13 USD. I initially started painting what I saw in my head as I read a book and listened to music. The output was meant to complete the circle of the experience. From there the obsession grew bolder, bigger and brighter. The reception, support and kind words I have experienced in online communities such as Instagram and Facebook have been very unexpected but greatly appreciated. To date, I have sold several pieces, been asked for pieces to display in locations such as doctor’s offices, had an item selected as part of a gallery experience and have been kindly awarded certificates of recognition for the occasional online open call submission.
Process:
I am so new in this journey that I am not terribly sure if I have a defined process. The foundation of what I do is rooted in feeling emotion, seeing color and trying to express thoughts on a canvas using a brush and other various household tools to apply the paint. In my Instagram bio, I describe what I do as “storytelling, feelings and music interpretations in paintings”. That’s about the best I can describe it at this point. To date the only medium I have explored is acrylic paint on canvas.