From early childhood to a senior year in college, some people struggle with what they want to be when they grow up. We all have interests and hobbies, but the reality is that not everyone can have an occupation in their own “field” of dreams.
Chris Kahler, associate art professor and graduate coordinator in the art department, is fortunate in this sense. He has pursued his dream of becoming an artist and has been growing with the field ever since.
“I knew around the age of 8 or so that being an artist would be a goal of mine, but it was not the future my parents hoped for me,” Kahler said. “They knew it would be tough. In my freshman year of high school, I focused so much on my art homework that my parents thought it would be a good idea to avoid taking art classes until my senior year.”
Kahler’s father is an architect and his mother has practiced watercolor painting nearly her whole life. The artist remembers weekend field trips to art museums and galleries as standard while growing up in Milwaukee. His parents understood the difficulties Kahler could face all too well.
“My father was president of the Milwaukee Art Museum when I was in high school. He had the rare opportunity to sit down with world famous artist Georgia O’Keefe,” Kahler said. “He wondered if she had any advice for me. Her response was roughly, ‘Don’t do it, this is the worst life.’”
Kahler was faced with a dilemma; should he follow O’Keefe’s advice or should he follow his dreams?
“As a compromise I agreed to go to Ohio Wesleyan as an English major,” Kahler said. “However, I insisted on the first day of registration that the painting professor had to let me into a drawing class, even though I had not taken the prerequisite class.”
Kahler said the professor was reluctant at first but after a look over his portfolio, the professor changed his mind. The professor soon became one of Kahler’s mentors and taught him painting techniques, which became his favorite discipline to date.
Kahler switched his major to fine arts in his second year of college.
Other than mentors, Kahler keeps an ever-growing list of influences that show through his artwork. (more…)