Artistic expression has been second nature to me since I was a child. Although I have explored many different mediums I always come back to the pencil. For me there is something wonderful about the raw and sensuous act of guiding a sharpened pencil lead across a sheet of paper that all the paint and sculpture in the world cannot supply. This is to me the shortest distance between inspiration and creation. Each graphite mark on my paper is still warm from the fire of my imagination. It has little time to cool as it might while I labor with other mediums.
In the 4th grade, I started using my drawing skills to do more than simply entertain myself. My elementary school's Open House was coming up, and my mother and many other parents would be there. My Social Studies teacher took a wide roll of white butcher paper and taped huge mural-size sections over the chalkboards all around the classroom. She gave me a box of colored chalk and asked me to draw scenes from different countries around the world on the paper as display for Open House. From a selection of photos depicting scenes of everyday people doing everyday things from all over the world, I chose my subjects.
It took me almost 2 weeks to complete the murals. I would stay after school sometimes for hours drawing the scenes.
The night of the Open House my murals and I were the stars of the evening. The parents of my friends and classmates praised me for what they said was a natural talent...whatever that means.
But it was fun and I beamed with pride. I enjoyed the new celebrity status I gained from my teachers and friends in my little world.
The acceptance and attention my drawing afforded me became addictive. Being the youngest of four kids from a typical, lower-class family with a violent, alcoholic father; anything that seemed pleasant and fun was a treat.
I would pick up my pencil and mentally wrap myself around the sharpened lead as it moved across the paper. (Hey, I was a 4th grader...) This was my escape from my dark surroundings.
This 4th grade 'exhibition' I experienced, which I'm sure would embarrass me to see today, was a life altering event for me. I learned how cool it was to draw pictures that other people liked to look at.
Later in life, I worked at several art jobs. In my mid 20's I worked as the Architectural Draftsman / Asst. Advertising Manager for a local roofing company. This was a wonderful job for me, because it required me learning a myriad of different art processes in a short amount of time. With a good deal of luck and effort, I survived and worked that job successfully for several years.
I leaned heavily on my artistic abilities through much of my early school years, but I soon found new, more interesting things...like girls, and music.
Curling up around pencil leads and drawing wasn't my only way to escapeI I was also good at playing the guitar. I worked as a professional musician for over 20 years.
Now at age 54 I am retired from my music career and returning to the pencil. I can't wait to see where this will lead.
I sincerely hope you enjoy my art. Thank you for your visit.