I’ve always been amazed by the myriad of misconceptions that people have about what artists do. Speaking about art to people is like speaking Greek to them — they just don’t get it. Reading books on art and going to museums is great, but talking to an actual professional artist is even better. The one thing that books and museums fail to show you is the artist speaking for himself and explaining his own work. Obviously, there are artists that are long dead and gone, and in that case we must count on historians and personal one on ones with the work(s). Ah, but if you have access to an actual real professional then take advantage — you’ll learn things that you’d never learn from a book or museum.
The above drawing is a small snapshot of who I am as an artist. I’m sure that it contains information that may surprise some people. That’s good. There’s actually a little more info that I’d like to add to this. I also plan to do a second version of this drawing later that shows where I’m at with my work and where I’ll be going with it in the future.
This year marks 20 years since I decided to start continuously keeping a sketchbook. For whatever bizarre reason, I had decided to stop doing this from 1993 to 1995; before that, I had kept a sketchbook from 1987 to 1993. My current sketchbook is a wonderful snapshot of the progress I’ve made and transformation that I’m obviously going through. I sort of knew that this is what would be happening when I began this new sketchbook in March of 2014. My goal at that time was to work away from what I had been doing for many years and to go towards a more personal representation of myself and what I do based on the things and people that inspired me to begin with. That, in conjunction with the experience that I’ve gained from all that I’ve been through over the past decade or so, would make the transition a meaningful one. The past year and a half has been an interesting journey — lots of ups and downs and breaking down of barriers. I’m happy to say that this was the tail end of all this, and not the beginning.
So, there you have it. Look over this drawing and, hopefully, you’ll learn a little bit about me as an artist. I’m having a great time finishing my current sketchbook in preparation for the new one. I’m greatly looking forward to starting the new one; working towards a goal that others can’t see can be difficult sometimes, but in the end, the goal is what matters. Following a path without compromise isn’t a popular path — it’s the only path.
