“My ultimate goal is to disseminate joy and inspiration through art; every painting reflects an opportunity to search, pursue and live from the heart, contrary to the status quo.”
Abstraction is not usually the means by which artists tell a story, but Will Day approaches his canvases as an opportunity to bring forth a story in the moment and not as a sequence of events. Many of his paintings have been commissioned, and for each he tries to connect to and relay the inner narrative of his patron. This has generated a body of work characterized by individual instances rather than series work with permutations of one concept or theme. Yet there is continuity to be found in his process of building a painting and experimenting with tools and techniques of applying his oils and acrylics.
With various surfaces serving as a field of operations, Day creates textures and complex layers which enables him to discover new relationships within each composition. Working on multiple paintings at the same time in his Boulder, Colorado studio, he reaches for an emotional power based in grand design that yet defies limits, which Day believes he attains through grace.
A reader of Joseph Campbell, he, in essence, enters each work as a path through the unknown to a self-overcoming experience. Considering himself a doer, it is the act of painting that drives each painting to where it wants to be. Day starts with a lone mark. Then he struggles with and relents to the viscous material accepting and resisting, using color as some sort of otherworldly force that aligns with or bursts out of the emerging configuration. As a youth, he was a spirited athlete and player of many sports, and so his natural inclination is expression through physicality, but now it is the means by which he seeks a higher power to tell a soul’s tale.
Stephanie Grilli
Ph.D Yale University
TED x
Finding Creativity in the Chaos | Will Day
TED x
Finding Creativity in the Chaos
Will Day’s art—like his personality—is bold. His use of large-scale canvases, rich textures, and multiple layers create a style that is as captivating as it is authentic. Limits have no place in the Will Day Art Studio. Self-taught and constantly evolving, Will puts a contemporary spin on the impressionistic tradition. His work is free flowing and gestural, emotional and timeless. It’s a whole-hearted pursuit that involves nontraditional tools and a variety of settings: outside, inside, on the floor, on the wall.
Whether commissioned by the NFL or a private collector, Will’s unconventional background and worldview shine through every piece he creates. A native New Yorker, Will lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and two kids. His art is featured in public and private collections across the world, from London to Rio de Janeiro to Hong Kong. In addition to his TEDxCU talk, Will’s speaking engagements have ranged from corporate fundraisers to a commencement address. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
