An Inspired Chat with Luke Watson of Phoenix/arcadia

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Luke Watson. Check out our conversation below.

Luke, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
I would say integrity. I think it’s the one that is hardest to cultivate too. I think energy and intelligence are things you can work on and develop, also there are more varieties to it – bookish vs intuitive, slow and steady vs fast sprints. Integrity is the thing that determines the manner in which you deploy your intelligence and energy, its more of a defining character trait that I see as something more in-born and harder to develop.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Luke B. Watson, I am an artist and educator in the Phoenix area. My work is primarily landscape painting where I deal with questions of how we use, view, and appreciate land in a highly complex digital age. Right now I am working to build a new body of work for an upcoming exhibition at Vision Gallery that will explore landscape through differing lenses of painting history and style. Tapping into the long tradition of landscape painting I am working through and questioning contemporary ideas of conservation, commodification, exploitation, and appreciation of the land I have grown up in. I am also trying to take a more personal approach to these questions and my immediate and anecdotal experience and knowledge rather than specifically attempting to draw out large board based political concerns, though much of that is inextricably linked.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
In terms of art making, this one is easy. My high school art teacher really was the one that set me on this course in a serious way. I always loved drawing and making art but he was the one that convinced me, and maybe more importantly my parents, that I should seriously look at art as an academic option for college. He pushed me in my senior year to develop a comprehensive portfolio and told my parents it wasn’t a matter if I could get in places but how much they were willing to offer. With his help and guidance I applied using my art rather than general academic and got funding to many schools I hadn’t considered. He helped drive me to art school and the creative journey I continue today.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell myself to get out and try more things, especially socially. I was a typically shy kid, nothing too extreme but I definitely avoided a lot of situations and social interactions that involved new people and new experiences. I’m still one to enjoy staying at home, but when I was younger I really didn’t understand not only that I was missing out on experiences but that for an introvert practicing putting on your social hat is a learning experience in itself and helps you grow to a more rounded and better person. I think that was a lesson I learned later and feel like I have been needing to put in extra effort now.

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. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Well there are quite a few I could come up with but one I think about a lot is “art is for everybody”. It is not that that statement is a lie, I believe art is and should be for everyone, but much of the art world is built and designed to be inaccessible and alienating. The lie isn’t that that statement is untrue in concept, just in practice. Structurally the way art is view and dispersed in the world is certainly not equal or welcoming but also academically and theoretically it is elitist. Especially in the contemporary discourse there is so much weight put to conceptually backing to art rather than the art itself that I see discouraging the average viewer from just simply enjoying the work itself and trying to have their own opinion about it. To be clear I don’t think there is anything wrong with deep conceptual discourse and theory but I have seen it be put on a higher pedestal than the art being displayed and I think that makes much of the work feel inaccessible to those that aren’t in-the-know so they feel like the art isn’t for them.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
In the studio is the short answer, but not the whole. I think anyone who has tried the art thing knows that it is not a lot of smooth sailing. Creating is tough, its a project of dedication expressed with a lot of frustration and patience. That said there are times when you are so in the flow, and in tune with the process, when things feel like they are just happening and working magically that is so peaceful and fulfilling. Its the studio high that I chase, never a guarantee but when you hit those moments the creative act is sublime.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lukebwatson.com/
• Instagram: @lukebwatson

Image Credits
All images –

Copywrite: Luke B Watson
courtesy of: Luke B Watson