where i’m from …
I grew up in northern Kentucky in the greater Cincinnati area, and that’s where much of my art inspiration comes from. I’ve been in St. Louis for more than 20 years, but I still have a bit of that visitor point of view as well. It’s a great city.
my love of art …
I’ve always found myself drawing. It’s one of those things that most of us do as kids. Some of us just never stop. In my sophomore year of college, I wanted to transfer to the Art Academy of Cincinnati. My portfolio was accepted, but there was no scholarship available, so I couldn’t transfer. I’ve always been a bit of a hustler, so I didn’t take that ‘no’ lightly. I started going to the Cincinnati Art Museum every Saturday. Instead of learning from instructors, I was taught by Van Gogh, Rembrandt and the other masters.
why i took a break …
I worked as a professional illustrator in Cincinnati and St. Louis for more than 10 years. At first, it was exciting to see my work in print, but that thrill eventually went away. I was getting burnt out working in my basement studio on the weekends. I cut down on projects and eventually stopped illustrating professionally. I worked in the corporate sphere, but it never really fulfilled me. For about six years, I didn’t draw at all, but I remembered that it was something I enjoyed doing. I got back into it and started teaching lessons out of my house.
recovering lost art …
I’ve found around $1 million in lost artwork. It started with a painting that was displayed at the 1904 World’s Fair. There was a photo of it from the fair, but nobody seemed to know what happened to it afterwards. I spent around a year investigating. Every dead end I came to just made me want to see the painting more. Little by little, I was able to build a timeline and bridge the gaps between 1904 and today. The last owner of the work was the St. Louis Public School District, and I eventually found the painting in an abandoned school building. The district’s art collection was just sitting there unprotected.
what teaching taught me …
I thought I had gotten as good as I could get. When I decided I wanted to teach drawing, I had to unlearn everything I knew. It’s like riding a bike. If you know how, it just comes naturally, but when you’re teaching someone else, you have to focus on all of the little things you take for granted. I was wobbly at first, but it made everything I did more intentional and improved my drawing skills. You can learn to draw at any age, and even if you’ve been doing it for decades, there’s always more to learn.
don’t be intimidated …
I like to tell my students that we aren’t here to draw the Mona Lisa. Don’t be afraid to make marks because we’re not trying to create a masterpiece. I use very few tools in class—charcoal, graphite, erasers and newsprint. I work with the latter because it’s cheap and not meant to last. That makes things more relaxed. They feel like they can try new techniques and just explore.
memorable studio sessions …
Drawn Studio has had some great instructors come in. Earlier this year, Shane Wolf taught a workshop. He received a first place award in drawing from the Portrait Society of America. People came from across the country to see and learn from him.
drawn studio’s students …
We have a very diverse range of students. Our goal is to respond to the needs of our community. When Fontbonne first announced it would be closing its fine art department and then the university as a whole, we acted quickly and offered students discounted classes. We wanted to make sure they had an avenue to get the instruction they needed to continue.
the st. louis art scene …
In a lot of ways, the St. Louis art community is still trying to find its place. There are many great organizations that support the arts, but they are somewhat segmented. I think there’s an opportunity for everyone to come together and elevate the level of local talent.
Photos courtesy of Drawn Studio