Per aspera ad ars!

I grew up without electricity, running water, indoor plumbing or much in the way of social interaction. This left me with two resources of incalculable worth to an artist… ample free time and crippling social anxiety. So, I started drawing and kept drawing. Then I started painting, polymer clay sculpting, wood carving, etc.

Once I overcame some of the social anxiety part, I met a lovely woman, acquired an awesome daughter, and full time employment. With all of this came less free time for art. I still doodled and sketched, but just didn’t have the time for serious “project” pieces. Then two things happened that had a major impact on me.

First, my daughter grew up and freed up some of my time, and I got my first computer drawing tablet. That first tablet and an old copy of Corel Painter opened up a whole new world and reignited my love of drawing and painting. Iterative saves and the magic of “undo” revolutionized my creative process. By extension, it also upped my game with traditional media as well. Now, I could experiment with different styles or techniques digitally, then implement them in my analog process. I am drawing more now than I have in thirty years.