Inspiration and early art

INSPIRATION

Early Years

I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. The first things that I can remember that inspired me were in nature. I drew animals, landscapes, and trees, all of which I still enjoy today. Horses were probably my favorite animals to draw. The picture below was done at around age 13. I believe the first drawing I sold was of a horse. It was for the lunch lady at my school who gave it to her husband as a birthday gift.

early horse illustration
Horse Drawing at Age 13

When I was in my 20's I began working for a Candle company where I drew packaging and candle designs. Drawing the repeating isometric images of the packaging got me interested in abstract geometric designs. I found these non-organic drawing to be quite fascinating. This was the beginning of my skills and work in technical illustration.

Although most of my work to this point was either in pencil or ink I did experiment with many other media types such as oil, acrylic, watercolor, and oil pastels. I found them fun but I seem to always return to pen and ink.

geometric art black and white illustration
Abstract Pen and Ink Geometric

Later Years

My interest in architectural illustration began while working as an artist for a screen printing company in South Carolina. I did several drawings for customers of their summer homes and a drawing of the new facility my company had just opened.

Silkworm illustration of building
Silkworm Screen Printer

I did enjoy some of the more fun art I got to work on as well even though cartoons are really not my thing.

screen printed logo of bannana cabana
Art for Banana Cabana

All in all I have had the opportunity to grow as an artist and find many forms of inspiration. Now most of my work is on the computer . I have spent the biggest part of my career with the title of technical illustrator even though I was not limited to just that. When I am at home in my studio I still pick up a pencil or pen and enjoy drawing the old fashioned way. I am always finding new inspirations, new styles to try and re-discovering old ones.

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"The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web."
-- Pablo Picasso--

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