Wes Coke Designs

One huge thing I’ve learned is to start with the “less fun” parts. Once those are done, I get rewarded with the fun parts.
I used to do the opposite and start with the fun stuff. Then by the time I got to the boring parts, I’d either quit entirely or speedrun my way through them and that never goes well.
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It’s basically the same as tricking a toddler with a snack… except the toddler is me.

I’m always more interested in catching people inside a thought than documenting a specific moment. That space where attention drifts a little and the outside world starts to feel distant.
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This one is less like someone looking out a window and more like someone sitting with their
own thoughts long enough for the room to change around them.
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Watching for Nothing
40”x 40”
Oil on canvas

Been a while since I’ve posted, but here’s one of the pieces I’ve got going right now. I guess you could say I’m in my alizarin crimson phase?
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Lately I’ve been sticking to a pretty limited palette, mostly alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue, with titanium white and a bit of Payne’s grey. There’s a long list of reasons people work this way, but for me it just clears the noise. It keeps me from overthinking and lets me focus on what’s actually happening in the painting. The more I limit the options, the more I start to see… like, how the colors lean on each other, how the values dictate the form, how subtle shifts can change everything. It’s slower but in a really good way.
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At the end of the day, I just love color and it feels like there’s always more to figure out. And to me, “figuring it out” is my favorite part of this gig.

I’m probably late to my own party but I’ve realized I’m less interested in painting “moments in time” and more in painting “moments in thought.” The quiet in-between where something shifts, even if nothing really happens. Where a thought arrives, settles in, and changes the weight of everything without announcing itself. Those are the moments I love and try to interpret. Hopefully they resonate with you:)
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Held in Thought
35”x 40”
Oil on canvas

Detail of a work in progress:)
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Pretty sure I’ve mentioned it but I had cataract surgery in both eyes last month. (I was the youngest person in the drs office by at least 20 years.)
After the surgeries I learned that I saw everything through a warm filter and now everything is a little cooler. I see a lot more blues and purples… I’ve worn glasses and contacts since I was 7 so not wearing them is pretty surreal. I’m not sure if/how it’s affected my painting brain but I guess only time will tell.

This piece is about that pause, the quiet moment when the world around you fades and your mind stops trying so hard. You’re not chasing anything because there’s nothing to figure out… you’re just present.
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The Space Between Thoughts
35”x 35”
Oil on canvas
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