ART - My passion

When thinking of a passion, something that can consume me at any moment, the thing I think of is art. Art is a fairly broad term so I'll narrow it down to what my interests in art are. They include drawing, painting, printmaking, and design.

For as long as I can remember I have been drawing and have been somewhat talented at it. As a kid that is the majority of what I did, whether it was documenting a moment or making up a cartoon, I was drawing it and filling numerous notebooks. I loved art in school and always had fun with that usually excelling at what I did.

My drawing has done much for me, from providing happiness to making money. Whenever I need an outlet I draw. I just get lost in it when I start. I can draw just about anything, but my favorite things to draw are cars, athletes, and things in nature. The medians I draw in range from chalk to graphite to colored pencil. I am very proficient in colored pencil as it is my favorite thing to use.

My painting has also been very good to me. Like drawing, it is an outlet for me. I do most of the same subjects as in drawing, however I focus more on nature scenes and wildlife. I can paint with just about anything. My best work is in watercolors and tempura, while I have also used acrylics and oils. In high school my claim to fame was painting life-size portraits of superstar athletes. This included Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Cal Ripken Jr., and Barry Sanders. These were painted with tempura on cardboard sheets and are sitting in my room at home.

My printmaking and design experience go hand in hand. In printmaking I have learned to design and cut my own silk sreens to make t-shirts or print on cloth. I've always had a fascination with t-shirts and logos so it makes sense that I enjoy this so much as well. I have always been designing t-shirts. Throughout high school I would design some that would even sell in large quantities making me some spending money. I also was asked to design logos for t-shirts in addition to doing things for the paper and the school.

I am very actively performing my artistic abilities. For two years I worked as a cartoonist for the Michigan Tech lode, sometimes getting up to five cartoons printed for the week. It was a fun job and I earned money doing something that I enjoyed. I also have done quite well in art shows the past few years. My senior year of high school I placed third in a regional show that earned my $500 and ever since I have been placing at shows, most notably the Tech Arts Festival. This has shown me that my talents can earn me some money. My sophomore year here, the University bought one of my paintings from the Tech Arts Festival and now my Great Blue Heron watercolor is hanging in the MUB foodcourt. Another couple of things I have done on campus include designing last year's Winter Carnival logo, the logo for the Tri-Hall Weight Club, and the logo for the Take A Slice of Tech program.

I also have done commission work for people. This work usually involves portraits of their children or gifts for friends. I have already had a few commissioned pieces this year. One of the other art things I would like to get into more is airbrushing. I would love to learn how to airbrush and plan on purchasing one in the near future. The goal of that purchase would be to paint goalie helmets. I painted my own goalie helmet last winter and it turned out great! However this was done by hand with acrylic paints. I have also painted street hockey goalie masks and have learned much about the process. I would love to become efficient with an airbrush and get into that business on the side.

My latest projects include making a website to showcase my work and get my name out there as well as writing and illustrating children's books.