The school year, and my 32 year teaching career, are now officially over. I can now get on with the business of doing some of the things that I've been planning on doing with my life as my classroom disappears in my rearview mirror. I've been looking forward to my retirement years as a time to create more art and this blog may be a part of that experience. Since I started this blog a year ago, I've fallen short of my goal to post something every month for a year. I’m recalibrating this plan. I'll post once a month through the end of this calendar year and then re-assess things when January rolls around. If things go well, maybe I’ll switch to a more professional blog hosting platform, maybe I’ll stick with Blogger or maybe I’ll give it up entirely. Ultimately, I want to have a way to get my art out into the world besides on social media.
For now, here’s a few updates:
Current Work
Here's a drawing I started working on shortly after the end of the school year. I finished it this morning.
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| Mushroom Stranger Trio 11x14 inches Pencil, marker and colored pencil on Bristol board June, 15 - July, 15 2025 |
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| Mushroom Stranger Trio (Detail) |
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| Mushroom Stranger Trio (Detail) |
Retirement
As I mentioned, my 32 year teaching career is officially over. My last day was June 12th. Right now, for the most part, I feel like I usually feel when I’m on summer break. I believe I won’t feel “retired” until the end of August/beginning of September when the new school year starts. I want to write more about all this at some point, but I’m still processing my thoughts and feelings on what my final year was like.
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| "Gogh..... Goghing.... Goghing... Gone!" This shirt was a retirement gift from my awesome co-workers |
Art Exhibition
My first solo exhibition in decades is now open to the public in the quiet study room at the Okemos branch of the Capital Area District Libraries. This is an exciting opportunity for me! My work will be on display through the end of August, 2025.
The title of the exhibition, More Drawings About Robots and Beverages, was inspired by the title of a Talking Heads album: More Songs About Buildings and Food. I played their music regularly during my art making sessions back in the 1980's as I sat in my room. Most of the work on display is from what I’ve calling the Stranger Series.
Included in the exhibition are some sample pages from the coloring book project I’ve been slowly working on. If you go to see my work please feel free to take one or two pages. If you color them in, I’d love to see your results! You can share photos of your work with me via email (brianwcreates@gmail.com) or you can tag me if you post your work on Instagram (@brianwcreates).
I created a soundtrack for this exhibition. Links posted below:
1. Exhibition soundtrack: Spotify
2. Exhibition soundtrack: Apple Music
Here is my artist statement for the exhibition:
More Drawings About Robots and Beverages
by Brian Walker
Over the past three years, my work has combined both analog and digital processes to explore themes rooted in science fiction and fantasy. These genres have fascinated me for as long as I can remember. I vividly recall being captivated by the first Star Wars film in 1977, and my interest in otherworldly stories deepened when I read The Hobbit in seventh grade, followed shortly afterward by The Lord of the Rings. Throughout my life, countless movies, TV shows, and books have fed my curiosity and inspired my imagination. In my youth, these stories fueled my play and creativity, allowing me to construct worlds and stories of my own. Today, that imaginative drive persists, though my methods have evolved.
Most of the works in this exhibition—except for Club Soda w/ Cranberry Juice, Club Soda w/Lime, Costa Rican Coffee, and Houston Swamp Things—are created on paper or Bristol board using pencil and marker. These works are part of what I’ve been calling the Stranger Series. My imagery has increasingly evolved through experimentation with digital apps like Sketchbook and Procreate on iPad and iPhone. A major influence on my artistic development has been Spanish painter Joan Miró, whose vivid, surreal compositions continue to inspire my approach to creating imagery.
Having recently retired from a 32-year career as a public school art teacher, I am excited to dedicate more time to my own artistic practice. In addition to drawing and painting, I am exploring the possibility of publishing a coloring book — sample pages from this project can be found elsewhere in this exhibition space. Please feel free to take one or two pages. If you do, I’d love to see your completed work! Please consider sharing a photo of your coloring results with me—either by email or on social media. I may feature some of your creations on my blog or social media accounts, so don’t hesitate to send them my way.
Here are a couple of photos of the exhibition space:
Redbubble Shop
I recently opened up a shop on Redbubble. I discovered this website when I noticed many of the artists I follow on Instagram us it. At the moment, all the work featured on my shop was created digitally using the Sketchbook app for iPad/iPhone. At some point in the coming months, I want to update my shop with, among other things, more of my art. Check it out!
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