Christopher J Wesley | Fine Art and Fiction Artist
Chris Wesley is an award winning author, fine art photographer, musician, music producer and poet.
“Write down your dream project and all of the other things you want to do. And don’t be reasonable.”
This was the advice I was given following my homework assignment from the man helping shepherd the completion of my novel “The Gospel of Wolves, A Season of Sunder”.
My first thought after hearing this was, “wow, I can’t believe that a professional with 40 years of experience would read my work and encourage that I take that kind of license”.
Even though 2018 has brought nine art exhibitions/events, a new shop platform, new commissions and a book fusing my fine art with my fiction in a way I’ve never done before, I’ve spent the past four months shaping what I want out of 2019.
Foremost right now and part of the reason I’ve been more quiet than usual the past few months, is a huge focus on finishing the first season of my book The Gospel of Wolves, Episode One.
I’ve hired a consultant with 40 years of experience to give me notes on the pages I’m writing to bring this story home.
Now that I have someone backing me up with massive amounts of experience, I feel free to push my ambitions for this tale to their furthest limit with the knowledge that there’s someone whose vast knowledge of storytelling will help me shape the book into the powerful, moving tale I envisioned.
Naturally, next year will see new art collections as well, but for the next two months, the bulk of my time will be wrapping my head around the vast story world I’ve created and bringing “The Gospel of Wolves, A Season of Sunder”, home.
What this will look like ultimately, I can’t say and my consultant said that this book might be best served traditionally published based on the first five chapters, but we’ll see. Either way, 2019 looks to be an insanely creative new year.
Right now I’m deep into the outlining to finish up the first season of The Gospel of Wolves.
When we left of in Episode One, the artist Lucien Karr was given an offer he couldn’t refuse to produce some murals for the men holding him captive for reasons they wouldn’t explain. (This is the best I can explain it without it containing spoilers.)
Lucien is going to at least start these murals, but now the question becomes, what would a captive man create that would speak to the position he’s in?
Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.–Samuel Johnson
I’ve made some fundamental changes…
…and you’re going to see them in the collections I’ll be releasing over the next year. The biggest of which, is that I no longer bring my camera with me as often as I used to when out with my wife.
I’m making a conscious decision to live less of my life looking through a lens and more time focused on being present with my wife, family and friends when I’m in their presence.
Just noticed this on the shelf full of cassette tapes.
I bought this off a classmate in 9th grade for $5. In the ensuing years, 90% of my t-shirts bore the Iron Maiden logo.
The tape was purchased already well worn and didn’t have a tape cover, so I made this one for it.
It was the fork in the road that led to me playing electric guitar and listening to Slayer, Metallica, Anthrax and Megadeth.
The passion and aggression spoke to me and resonated like nothing else I had heard yet.
It’s one of the single most important records I ever heard based on life impact, but no, I never did worship the devil and that isn’t even what the song was trying to get listeners to do.
I recalled purchasing this tape in a flashback in my book Regret in Triptych because it’s part of my origin story.
What’s one of your most important records?
#cassettetape #artistinspiration #artistlife #behindthescenes #ironmaiden #musicsavedme