Alright.... So this is my first blog. Ever... And I also happen to be some-what tecnologically challenged. Therefore, I respectfully request that you bear with me.
I am attepting to get some semblence of an art career off the ground, and a web page was on my to do list. However, I do not know how to build my own web page, or how to maintain it. And I like anything free. So here I am. Blogging....
I guess the best place for me to start is with a little background on who I am, and what I am currently working on. (Seperate from me babbling in my profile, of course! =P ).
I have been into art forever. And when I say forever, I mean since I discovered the wondrous technique of drawing potato people... =) ... I still have sketch books, full of drawings from when I was a kid. They got more detailed, I promise. But it was definately love at first sight...
Then came art class in highschool. This is when I realized that art was more than a passing fancy. I slowly came to realize that I wasn't that bad at it, and I could actually do something with it. The more I experimented with different mediums, the more I loved it. And the messier the better! =D
I sold my first painting in highschool, and I have to admit, as hard as it was for me to let it go, it was kindof a rush. And an eye opener. One of the teachers had seen the piece while talking to my art teacher, who was in the process of marking it. My art teacher approached me about selling it, and I agreed. Now here comes the part I suck at. Putting a price on my work. Seriously, I have a lot of trouble with this. So she suggested a price, and I went with it. It was my first sale, after-all, and I would have been happy with $2. She, however, marked it up, and I let her lead on this one. I was in grade ten, only hoping for an A, and got cash on top of it. No complaints...
After high-school, I didn't go on to secondary studies. It was too costly, to begin with, and my job at Tim Hortons was not going to pay for it. I was also petrified of the whole presenting a portfolio, to get into school thing. Still am... So I started working full time, while continuing with art, on my own time. And here I landed in a place that most artists are familiar with. Working an office job (call center for me) while dreaming of the fairy-tale where you somehow get "discovered", and become the next Big Thing. Unfortunately, the art world does not work like this, and I eventually realized I was going to have to find the way in myself.
But where to begin? For one thing, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my art. Just that I wanted to be able to do only art, all the time, and scratch out a living on it. I came to realize that Fine Arts, in this day and age, are rediculously tough to live off of. One minute you're cashing a cheque for a couple hundred, the next, you're living off of Mr.Noodles. I definately didn't want to be filling orders for people who wanted a painting to match their couch. I also came to realize I wasn't going to get my stuff into a gallery until I had a larger, stronger body of work, and had made a bit of a name for myself... To boot, I'm very shy about my work. I know you are thinking that's ludicrous, considering you are currently reading my blog, which is plastered with my work, but trust me, this has been quite the journey, and I'm nervous as hell about it. However, I'm also determined.
Eventually, I landed up at Industrial Alliance, in call center, for group health and dental. I'm still working there now, and it's a great company. My co-workers soon discovered I was into art, due to my doodling habits, and I suddenly found myself getting requests to employ my skills for them. My manger commissioned a painting of her grandson, my first real portrait, and it was a blast to work on. So a huge thanks to her, and all my friends from I.A for cheering me on, from the side-lines.
That being said, I don't want to spend the rest of my career painting only portraits. So I began checking out other options. I happen to be a huge nerd - into Comics, Sci-fi, Fantasy, and the like (as noted in my profile). So here's where the next revelation comes in... I attend a convention every year, that a lot of you are probably familiar with. That would be the Fan Expo, ( AKA - The Geek Fest =) ). One of my favourite features of this event would be what I call 'Artisan's Alley'. It's where you find a wild and wonderful mix of local and international artists, peddling their trade, in search of their own artistic goals. To say the least, it features A LOT of talent.
At last years (2009's) event, I met Caanan, bringer of Celadore. Which, by the way, I am very upset is finished. But more on that later... Caanan was promoting his comic Celadore (It's awesome, and well worth checking out!) As a result I realized that comic art was a plausible solution to my quandry. Through comics I can tell a story with my art, have creative control, and who knows, maybe change someones perspective on life (for the better, of course!).
So a huge thanks to Caanan for both your awesome contributions to the art world, and for inadvertantly pointing me in the right direction... The drawing of Sam and Evie you did for me at The Geek Fest has a prominent position on my Wall Of Inspiratue, in my art studio. =P
Now that I have a sense of direction, and am working on more than just doodles for my own entertainment, I have suddenly found myself with a full plate. On top of working on my graphic novel, I have been commissioned to do more portraits, and other art pieces. I've been taking comic book courses through The Toronto Cartoonist Workshop, with plans to take more with them in the near future. And am generally excited about art in a way I havn't been for years. So thank you to all my friends and family for your support, and I'll do my best to keep it comming.
