Art imitates work

Just because you squint at numbers while working on a financial report doesn’t mean you can’t also be inspired to produce a work of art.

It happened recently to Keith Loveland, a compliance consultant and fiduciary analyst who is president of Loveland Consulting in Bloomington, Minn.

“As I was reading about the incredible volatility in the U.S. stock market, I realized it could be portrayed visually, and a picture would be a better way to express what was going on,” he said.

The result is “Standard Deviation Blues,” an 11-by-14-inch acrylic painting on canvas that Mr. Loveland painted in his office.

Although he has painted for much of his life, he has made his living as an attorney, auditor, registered representative, professor, and compliance and due diligence expert.

But Mr. Loveland’s art has caught the attention of friends and clients, and he is beginning to sell paintings by word of mouth.

Mr. Loveland is also talking to local galleries about exhibiting his work and is considering printing his paintings on a line of art cards.

As for his full-time job, he said that the turmoil in the markets and headline-making scandals have made his compliance and fiduciary expertise more sought-after than ever.

“There’s no shortage of work,” Mr. Loveland said.