My art is an expression of the things that I like most, beginning with horses. They are inspirational and I believe they have something to teach mankind. I try to express this in each of my drawings. I started branching out into other subject matter while I was in Middle School and began drawing cats, dogs, birds of prey, wild cats, and other wild life. I also enjoy drawing mythical creatures such as unicorns, Pegasus’, griffons, dragons, hippogryphs, and other mythical beasts.

My drawings are mostly drawn in graphite pencils and colored pencils and I generally work from photographs to get a realistic effect. I will also use reference photos if I have something in mind that I can’t find a specific photo for. I love the feel of colored pencils and the vibrant colors they give me, or the subtle tones they add to graphite drawings. With graphite drawings, I enjoy shading gradient by gradient, dark to light, or sometimes, light to dark which is a little trickier for me. Typically the paper I use ranges from sketch paper, to professional drawing papers of various natural colors, or Bristol board. It all depends on the effect I wish convey. With drawing papers, I can leave much of the detail up to the paper texture itself, and with Bristol board, I can get a very smooth soft effect.

The question I get often is if I see the drawings completed in my head. I have an idea of what I want to draw, with no specific details in mind, unless I’m drawing from a photograph. I’ll then decide if I want it in color or black and white. I start with that, and the drawing comes to me as I work. It’s a creation in my head that evolves as the pencil moves on paper and sometimes it looks nothing like the original intent. There are those special moments where some small detail evolves out of pure accidental coincidence. I am also asked how I draw. This is a difficult question and I could explain all of the technical details about the mechanics of drawing, however, that would turn into a full blown book of which several have already been created. Half the time I’m drawing, I’m not really thinking about it, it just evolves on its own.

My art is special to me. It helped me through some tough times in school as a therapeutic outlet for a troubled teenage mind, though I didn’t realize it at the time. My love of drawing has received much positive attention and encouragement over the years and, because of that, I have carried it into my adult life. In the future, I hope use my art to teach others, as well as a medium for others to enjoy. It allows me the freedom to express how I perceive the world around me and the viewer can observe and interpret as they see fit.