BEND, Ore. — In a quiet Bend studio, artist David Kreitzer continues his nearly six decade career chasing what he calls “divine discontent,” a restless drive that has shaped a career defined not by persistence and an enduring love of the painting process.
“Your painting can be soothing. It can be exciting. It can be irritating. It can be a lot of these things. Whatever it is, you’re responsible for, it,” Kreitzer said.
“Art follows money. I don’t care what how that sounds. It’s the truth, Kreitzer said. “There is no formula for success. Nobody knows what sells.”
What started as a boyhood obsession has turned into a lifelong obsession and a career as a professional artist for 58 years.
“You’ve got to love the process, you know? To me, I think a lot of artists want to get to the point where they’re finishing the painting. That’s the fun part. They want to get it on there and get it so you got this good looking thing to show for all your work. But I love the preparation, too,” Kreitzer said.
“When I told anybody I wanted to be an artist, they’d say, ‘But what are you going to do for a living?'” he said. “I don’t care how positive you think. Most of the time you’re going to get rejected. That’s true of all the arts.
“It’s of the things I like about painting is that it’s practically impossible to master. You can get good at it. Instead of letting that frustrate you. That’s what the philosophers call divine discontent. You’ve got to use it to your advantage. You know, it keeps you going, keeps you interested.”
Divine discontent. It’s just one of the many things that keeps Kreitzer painting.
“As long as the thing is difficult, you’re into it. You’re interested. You’re working at it. You’re discovering things,” he said.
Kreitzer grew up in Nebraska, went to graduate school at San Jose State, cut his teeth in the San Francisco Art scene, made a living as a painter for decades in San Luis Obispo then moved to Bend six years ago — not to retire, but rather to be inspired.
His wife, Jacqueline, was born and raised in Bend before moving away and pursuing her own career in the arts as a professional opera singer. They met backstage at the Seattle Opera.
Their life revolves around art and their home surrounds them in it. David’s paintings line the walls of the house and his studio. There’s been highs and lows along the way. But the one constant has been painting and David’s unrelenting pursuit of his passion.
“And the one thing I didn’t want to do was go the rest of my life, telling people I could have done it, you know, or I should have done it. You know, I could have done that. Nothing sounds more lame,” Kreitzer said.
A career spanning seven different decades has provided Kreitzer with the kind of perspective that only comes with time.
“You have to understand why you’re painting. If it’s really important to you, you’ll do whatever you need to do to keep going,” he said.