Introductory Ramblings...

I never took art seriously until I was in my mid-twenties. Growing up I was always one of the “kids who could draw”, but I never thought of it as a career path. When I was twelve years old I heard Rush’s “2112”, and that sealed it: I was gonna be a drummer in a rock band. Rock stars make more money than artists, right? More importantly, they have cooler cars, and date women that artists can only dream up on canvas. When your twelve, it’s a no-brainer.

Around the same time, I started to read a great deal. My grandparents bought me a copy of Frank Herbert’s “Dune,” which piqued my rather voracious appetite for things of a science fiction and fantastic nature. I began to notice the cool cover art on my books. Musically, I was getting into progressive rock bands like Yes and ELP, all of whom had really cool art on their covers and gatefolds. Cool art everywhere I looked! But drums were still much cooler...

By tenth grade I was in band, and on weekends we went out and made money playing in bars (despite the fact that none of us were old enough to drink). We had a blast, and after high school I continued in various bands for a few years. Then I decided I should get real about life and a career. So I enrolled in the local Technical College’s Commercial Art program. I learned the fundamentals of design, typography, and composition, and the nuts and bolts of making a living as a graphic designer. I also found out that I had a knack for airbrushing, which led to my first crude attempts at SF and fantasy art.

After graduation, I kept plugging away at my fine art skills. I wound may way through a few day jobs, and a few more bands before I decided to try and “make it” as a SF illustrator. I went to a few local Science Fiction conventions, and mopped up with awards. This gave me a big head. I went to several large regional conventions and took home a bunch more awards, including several “Best in Shows”. This gave me an even bigger head. So I went to a World Science Fiction Convention, where my work was displayed next to people like Michael Whelan, Jim Burns, Bob Eggleton... the list goes on. I quickly realized that I wasn’t that good!

I decided to give myself three years to bring my work to a level where I could compete.. Working all day, painting all night and on weekends. I got close, but not close enough. I was good enough to eke out a living as a SF illustrator, but not good enough to make a decent living at it. I was crushed. I had spent years, and gone thousands of dollars into debt pursuing my dream. Financially I was at a breaking point: get serious about earning a living or declare bankruptcy. But, as the saying goes, all things happen for a reason...

I eventually wound up working as a graphic designer and pre-press specialist for a printing company. I learned some invaluable skills, got out of debt, and as an added bonus, met my wife! I started doing CD covers for friends that were still in the music business. I now work for an advertising agency and still freelance as many projects as I care to. Life didn’t turn out the way I planned, but I make a very comfortable living doing something I love to do. Life is good!

Some Thoughts on Art

I am old enough that, when I started getting serious about art, digital art did not exist as a practical medium. So I honed my skills with pencil, acrylic, and oils. I feel it is essential that an artist have a firm basis in conventional art mediums before jumping into the digital realm. Both mediums require the same set of knowledge and basic skills. The illusion of depth and mood are created with the same set of rules regardless of medium. Colors mix slightly different in pixels than on a palette, but the same theory applies. But software has too many presets, defaults, and help buttons to allow a new artist to truly learn. The result are most often sterile, lifeless, devoid of composition or drama (and overflowing with chrome spheres or women with huge anti-gravity breasts). A pencil or brush in hand requires pure thought on the part of the user -- nothing happens until your brain talks to your hand.

The role of the traditional painter in the commercial world is becoming ever narrower, a realm reserved for only the most gifted hands. But it is a discipline that must be preserved and cherished. Digital art is cheaper and faster to produce, and much easier to reproduce. It is also becoming accepted as a legitimate fine art form. Software will be able to create ever more amazing, lifelike, and organic images. Personally I have never felt the same sense of satisfaction upon finishing a digital piece as I have with an acrylic or oil. Maybe it’s the smell of oil paints, or the mess left behind in my studio. Or the simple fact that it has physical size and weight. Regardless, the sad fact is that I am lucky to find the time to create one traditional painting per year. I am just too busy with the digital stuff -- which pays the bills.

Random Thoughts on Music

It seems to me that visual art and music have always been inextricably linked. Roger Dean landscapes fly before your eyes whenever you hear the music of Yes. You can’t listen to the Stones without that tongue logo popping into your mind. Iron Maiden's "Eddie" is as iconographic to that band as Bruce Dickinson's vocals. Music evokes images, images evoke music.

Music has always had a central role in my life. My best friends are all musicians. I listen to music constantly. My iTunes library is over 300 gigabytes. Tastes are primarily in progressive rock, metal, and fusion jazz. I like complex music, music that makes me think rather than just listen.

I still play in a band, the primary difference between my early “serious” days and the present being that now I can afford the drum kit of my dreams, which is ridiculously large. But, as we drummers say, “You can never have too much shit to hit.”