I’ve never thought of myself as someone with refined taste in the visual arts. My dad and stepmother always had great pieces around their home—some were original works, others were beautiful reproductions of artists like Renoir and Monet. I’ve always appreciated them, even if I couldn’t tell you exactly why they’re considered great. I just know they make me feel something when I look at them, and maybe that’s enough.

But there are other kinds of artists too—those who work with words instead of paint. Writers like Poe, Hemingway, Twain, and Shakespeare have always spoken my language. They paint with language, using rhythm, emotion, and precision to create pictures that live in the mind long after the page is turned.

And then there’s music. There’s enough music in my soul that I connect deeply with the “good stuff.” Give me Toto, Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, Kenny Loggins, George Benson, Earth, Wind & Fire, Christopher Cross, and Billy Joel. These artists can turn melody into memory, emotion into energy.

Artists don’t all use paint. Some use words. Some use music. Some use all of it. But the best of them all share one thing: they move us. They touch something deep inside that logic can’t quite explain—and that’s what makes their art timeless.

Copyright © 2025 Doug DeBolt.