Daily Inspiration: Meet Major Chisholm

Today we’d like to introduce you to Major Chisholm.

Hi Major, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m married to my best friend, raising a daughter who keeps my spirit young, living with a dog who specializes in squirrel chasing, and eight chickens who keep me humble and vaguely outnumbered. It’s not glamorous, but it’s blessed, and it never stops giving me creative material.

Born and raised in north east Mississippi I was the creative weird kid who drew on his test papers. I got my formal art training at a community college and later at Union University in Jackson, TN.

From there I moved to Nashville, TN to teach art. After thirteen years teaching art I moved to Fort Collins, CO to help a friend plant a church. A year later I was teaching art in Loveland, CO. I have been teaching art for a total of twenty seven years. I never thought I would teach for thirty years.

I have had work in galleries and collaborations with other art teachers in shows titled, Practice What You Teach. I’m pivoting now to building a body of work and pursuing direct to collector relationships.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Like anyone, I’ve moved through my share of loss, miscarriages, and saying goodbye to friends and family far sooner than I ever wanted to. Grief has a way of leaving its fingerprints on you. For me, it pushed its way into my art, turning memory into color and heartbreak into something that could actually shine. I don’t paint to escape the pain of loss, I paint because it deserves a voice, too.

Obstacles and Challenges are also beautiful and great things in life when it comes to being creative. Being present with my wife and daughter is most important to me and they are the beautiful and great things that inspire me to be creative. So, carving out time to be creative is worth it after I have put the time in with my family. They are greatly supportive of my creative endeavors. However, I am creating more than art when I invest my time with my wife and daughter.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work is a blend of abstract expressionism and spiritual storytelling. I use epoxy resin and color the way some people use prayer, layer by layer, light over darkness, believing something sacred is going to come out on the other side.

My series The Golden Hours is the most personal thing I’ve ever created, a reflection on God, loss, memory, and the thin place between earth and heaven. Dark-stained wood sets the stage, translucent gold resin pours across it like honey, and suspended inside are transparent photographs of loved ones who’ve passed on. Then I sand it all down to a soft matte finish, because even memories look better with a little refinement.

The pieces symbolize what I believe most deeply: that the transition from life to Heaven isn’t a cliff but a doorway, bathed in this warm, golden light that feels like home. The pieces are meant to have the morning or evening sun shine through them and illuminate a room with their rich golden glow.

Art is my way of exploring faith, loss, color, and that weird spiritual tug we all feel but can’t always name. Some days it’s therapy. Some days it’s worship. And some days it’s me staring at a resin pour thinking, “Lord, please let this cure right.”

I enjoy painting in different styles. Much of my work cannot be nailed down to a cohesive style. In some of my work you may see a continuous line that doesn’t separate or cross over its self. I am always pushing myself to play and experiment with different techniques and styles.

Though I teach digital media (Video Production, Photography, Podcasting, and Graphic Design) at a local high school, I’m a painter at heart. That’s the part of me that insists on getting out, creating work that feels honest, and, if I’m lucky, earning a place on someone’s wall. After all, your walls are my galleries.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I’m building my practice around a direct-to-collector model, connecting my work directly with the people who feel it most. There are no gatekeepers here, though I deeply respect galleries and the important role they play in the art world. This approach simply allows me to share my work more personally, to create relationships with collectors, keep costs low, and to have my pieces live in homes where they can be truly appreciated. Supporting me can mean following my journey on my YouTube Channel and Instagram, sharing work that resonates with you, or welcoming a piece into your own space, your walls become the galleries that matter most to me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/major.chisholm/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@creativeliberty