Oliver Langston has created art for nearly his entire life. Ever since he was a child, he has painted from the soul.
Throughout his professional career in decades past, working as a building project manager and engineer, he still created in his spare time, and even managed back then to sell a dozen or so paintings every year.
Today, he’s not so much retired, but has entered a new phase of his life.
“About three years ago I decided to go into art full time,” Langston said. “My life revolves around art, and I love every minute of it.”
Painting from his Smyrna home studio, Langston considers his passion his full-time gig. He often wakes up well before sunup, in the wee hours of the morning, to resume painting; says Pink Floyd is his favorite music to listen to while creating; hangs as many of his works as possible in area restaurants and cafes and posts them to Facebook for viewing and sale.
“But I don’t do it for the money,” Langston said. “I paint to transpose my mind’s visions, ideas, and anything else that comes to me . . . into a visual form.
“I am not held within any boundaries because I do not have to depend on art as a living. I paint to create something different . . . not to conform,” he said.
And his artistic vision is not only what is in his own mind’s eye; he wants to promote the local art scene as a whole, see all artists, galleries and creative outlets succeed, and for Middle Tennessee to be known as a place where art thrives.
Langston said he will paint on “anything that doesn’t move,” including pumpkins and glass. He even created a snowman in the fashion of Yoda a few years ago. He includes a photo of himself and the snow-Yoda on his business card.
“So many people react to that; so many people are into Yoda,” he said.
He said he loves it when others view and appreciate his paintings, but “when I sell a piece of my work, it is like losing a child; but as in real life, children grow up and go out on their own, to create their own life and reach for their goals.”
Langston also said he refuses to sell prints.
“Everything I sell, they’re the only one who will have it,” he said. “I do originals; I don’t do prints. People say, ‘You can make money doing prints.’ Again, I’m not in it for the money.”
This month, view a collection of some of Langston’s work at JoZoara Coffeeshop; other area businesses with his work on display include Earthsoul Gallery, Carpe Cafe, Dunn Brothers Coffee, Boro Town Cakes, The Bedford County Art Gallery and more.
