It's human nature to avoid discomfort, even when it may be in our best interests not to do so. Luckily, life has its way of forcing us out of our comfort zones and into experiences that, while uncomfortable or even undesirable, lead to our growth and ultimately our happiness in achieving things we had either been afraid of, thought too difficult, or even held in contempt.

As an undergrad at BYU I took a painting class one summer. Our professor decided to take advantage of the nice weather, so we spent the entire term painting outside — landscapes. I've never liked doing landscapes, and I felt strongly enough that I made my feelings known. My professor told me that if I'd gone to school where he did and had voiced that same complaint, I'd be forced to do nothing but landscapes for an entire semester. I was glad I did not go to that school.

Looking back on that experience, I began to consider the value of proactively approaching something I hated. Hence the theme of this exhibit: That Thing You Hate, which showed in 2013 at the Alice Gallery in Salt Lake.

Linnie Brown, Justin Wheatley, and I participated, dedicating ourselves to aspects of art we recognized as having value, even though we disliked them — things we knew would be for our own good if we could overcome our aversion to them. Each of us found a mentor, someone accomplished at the thing the artist hated, and worked with that person to develop skills in that particular area. All six artists, mentors and mentees, participated in the show.

My Work

Jeff Pugh agreed to be my mentor as I went through the process of tackling landscape. Here’s what I wrote afterward about my experience: “Landscape has seemed like such a daunting challenge to me. … In going out and tackling something I didn’t enjoy, I found an intersection between landscape and the way I work. I discovered new ideas about, and ways of, painting. Landscape may never loom large in my overall body of work, but the things I learned through this experience will help inform the way that I paint going forward.”