Self Portrait

This was a self portrait I made for an intermediate drawing class at UCF. I had gotten off work late and headed down to the studio to draw. I was tired but once I got started I felt compelled to keep going. I surprised myself with the level of detail I was able to achieve. When I showed it to my teacher he loved it but asked why I had such an intense expression on my face. I told him that I had to fight with a freshman for a spot by the mirror. I won.

Jacques Callot Study

This was an illustration I made in junior college. I had some really good art teachers but my favorite was Kevin Grass. He was a photorealistic painter and illustrator. He was a tough teacher, demanding the best from his students and grading accordingly. Sensitive students found him difficult, but I knew I could learn a lot from him. I constantly asked him for his honest opinions and criticism of my work. He taught me how to shade and how to approach anatomy. My skills improved so much in that class.

For our final assignment he had us recreate a sketch from a master artist from one of our books. I chose a sketch by a French artist named Jacques Callot. The drawing had to be close to life size so I got a huge piece of brown paper and taped it to the dinning room wall. It took several hours but I was pleased with the results. When I brought it to class I noticed that several kids had done the same illustration as me, but mine looked the best. I will never forget when Kevin Grass walked up to my picture. He looked it over and said "I'm going to give you a B because the shading on the leg is a little off". He wrote my grade down in his grade book and casually stated "You did a really good job, it looks great". Coming from a man who rarely gave praise, that was a huge compliment. I was so proud of that B.

Jenny's Graduation

After my sister's college graduation we went to my uncle's cabin in Dunnellon Florida. We were having a family cook out in her honor. Jenny, the proverbial hippie, wore her usual attire but kept the graduation hat on. I was on the dock when she came to join me and I snapped this shot of her. This is one of my favorite pictures of Jenny because she is in her element and being her goofy self.

Hands

These are photos I took of my hand when I lived at Bennington Chase. I woke up one morning and saw the sunlight on my wall next to my bed. I lay there half wake moving my hand through the light. I liked the simultaneous pattern of the shadows on my hand and the shadow on the wall.

View from the Daisy Geyser

This was taken at dusk at Yellowstone National Park. I was standing next to the Daisy Geyser waiting for it to go off when I looked over my shoulder and saw this.  A lot of photographers say that patience is a big part of what they do. Sometimes, if you are too busy waiting for something to happen you might miss something better.  I love it when my restless nature pays off.

The Grand Prismatic

This is a photo of the Grand Prismatic Spring at Yellowstone National Park. I went there on a family trip in 2007. During the day the Grand Prismatic is full of beautiful colors. We had seen it earlier in the day but decided to visit it again at dusk before we left the park. The colors were muted but still elegant. I took this picture on a whim and didn't think it would come out at all. I was pleasantly surprised to see this on my camera.

Art at Steak n' Shake

This was a drawing I made of my friend Kenn at Steak n' Shake. We went there after an art show and he was inspired to draw on the back of his menu. I decided to draw him. I was able to get most of the drawing done before he noticed me. When he was done he saw my illustration and said "Oh damn, all I made was a tree".