I got to be kid during the 70’s & 80’s, growing up in a very
visual and instantaneous world. I watched a crap load of TV, read
comic books and listened to music constantly. I remember the very
first music video on MTV, my parents buying a microwave, my first
whopper.
I loved the good parts of being a kid, never wanted to grow
up. Parts of me never have. I like to have fun, and don’t much
like the responsibilities of being an adult. I was never any good
at school or much else for that matter. I think that is why I like
to paint so much. I just have fun, get lost in the color, throw
paint on the canvas and see what happens. It’s where I feel the
happiest, like I’m doing what I was meant to do.
I have never thought much more ahead than what was in front of
me. This has gotten me into a lot of trouble but lets me paint
without fear. Making mistakes doesn’t bother me. I have done that
my whole life. I have screwed up my share of paintings, but I get
some that really work.
Ever since I can remember I have thought about art. It isn’t
forced at all. It just comes out of me. I can’t help it. I have
created in one way or another my whole life. People ask how I
decide on which colors to use. The truth is, I don’t. I just
paint. I really don’t know how I do it.
How do I define my work? It’s colorful. I know that, but beyond
that, I want to manipulate the common and ordinary, to stand out
from the crowd, for people to say, that’s a Wakefield. I want my
work to be art, for people to connect with it for what it is, not
to match their couches. I don’t give a damn about that. I’m more
interested in tweaking people’s noggins, get them to look at life
from a different angle.