For much of the summer, visitors to downtown Seward may have spotted an artist at work — whether on the porch of Liberty House, inside Chapters Books and Gifts or walking through the community getting to know residents.
Will Greusel of Denver is one of Seward’s artists in residence. From June 15 through Aug. 14, he will spend time creating artwork while becoming part of the community.
Jeanne Wiemer, founder of Red Path Art Gallery and president of the Seward Art Council, said the artist-in-residence program helps fulfill the organization’s goal of growing Seward as a place for art and community engagement.
“The whole idea is that, whether they’re in their studio or not, people see them in the district walking around,” Weimer said. “It’s actually being a resident in the Seward area and him getting to know people and them getting to know him.”
Greusel and his wife are staying at Liberty House during the residency. He has a room there where he can create art at any time.
“It is so important for developing a community that you also include fostering the arts,” said Pat Coldiron, owner and operator of Liberty House, “if you’re going to build a good, nice community and sustain it.”
Greusel spends about 20 hours each week working from a studio at Chapters Books and Gifts, where the public can come watch and talk with him. On Fourth of July weekend, he created artwork on the front porch of Liberty House, where passersby could watch him work.
He said speaking with community members has become one of the highlights of the experience.
“Every single day I sit at Chapters, there’s at least a few new people who come up to ask me about it and talk about what their experiences are with creating art and what they like or don't like about it,” he said. “And secondly, the selfish part of it is that it's good accountability for me to have to spend time on art.”
He has begun livestreaming his studio time at Chapters on Twitch and YouTube under the username @wgreusel, and some of his artwork is currently on display at Cafe on the Square.
Greusel graduated from Kansas State University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a concentration in graphic design.
“Even though I didn’t take a lot of art classes in high school, I spent a lot of time not paying attention in classes and doodling on paper, and my doodles were often typography-based,” he said. “I would look at interesting display fonts and titles and try to mimic them. If I saw interesting-looking letter fonts, I liked to see how accurate I could draw them.”
As a child, he felt he lacked many talents and developed a fear of failure that eventually became a fear of trying new things.
Art was different.
“Art is one thing where, even though I have failed a lot and produced a lot of art which no one’s ever seen, I did discover a little bit of talent there that I felt like I could finally do something with,” he said. “It was something that I felt like I was kind of capable at.”
Also, as someone with ADHD, it is uncomfortable for him to sit without doing something with his hands. Art is something to do with his hands, and it takes time.
After earning his degree, he worked professionally as a graphic designer for several years. Over time, however, he found himself less inspired by digital design and drifted away from that career path.
He spent some time creating highly detailed maps and now works as a quality assurance specialist full-time but continues to create physical artwork as a hobby.
Over the years, his artistic interests have evolved. Shortly after moving to Denver, he created illustrations featuring animals paired with objects.
Later, he focused on botanical subjects and then buildings, including those in Seward.
More recently, Greusel has turned his attention to portraiture. His current work includes watercolor and gouache portraits on paper.
For many years, he intentionally avoided drawing people. He said he likes precision and often felt disappointed with the way faces turned out. By focusing on portraits now, he hopes to strengthen his skills in that area.
“It’s my first crack at a proper portrait in like 15 years, and it’s gone a lot better than I thought it would,” he said.
Previous owners of Red Path Gallery knew Greusel and invited him to exhibit there three different times. Now an artist in residence, he said he is happy for the opportunities in Seward.
“Painting has taken a backseat to a lot of other priorities in my life, and I feel like its something I’ve just been lightly pushing on the gas in the background for a long time,” he said. “So, the fact that I’ve had three exhibitions now and been an artist in residence is kind of surprising to me, because I’m getting rewarded for kind of stepping away for a while.”
Coming from a larger city, he said he typically enjoys the anonymity urban areas can provide. However, his time in Seward has reminded him to slow down and appreciate the connections that come with small-town life.
“What has sort of surprised me over the years in a lot of ways is just how kind everyone is, and it’s very picturesque,” he said. “It’s very balanced. What I tell people who scoff at small towns is that it’s not really what you would expect if you’re imagining a small town in the Midwest. It’s better and it’s nicer than whatever you’re imagining.”
Wiemer said Greusel is easy to talk with, and she has enjoyed how he has embraced the public-facing nature of the residency.
“He can put himself into any situation – like he’s done on the porch or when he was at Chapters Books and Gifts and kids came in for a class – and just hop into a situation, be the artist and share that with people,” Weimer said. “It’s really awesome.”
