Art

“EVERY CHILD IS AN ARTIST. THE PROBLEM IS HOW TO REMAIN AN ARTIST ONCE WE GROW UP.” – Pablo Picasso

Paintings

As a teenager I was a bit abnormal compared to my peers. On Saturdays, instead of watching cartoons, television shows, or movies, I would watch PBS. Right up there with Nova and National Geographic, was Bob Ross and his inspiring television show The Joy of Painting. I would try to catch every new episode and watch as many reruns as possible.

At some point I received a used oil painting set, and it was at that point that I got the opportunity to experience the joy Bob was always speaking about. From my point of view, painting is a magical experience – whether it be photorealistic oils or abstract acrylics – it doesn’t matter. You lose yourself in your creation. Here are some of my creations:

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Drawings

I also like to draw in both pencil and ink. You will often find me vigorously drawing in one of my many drawing pads. Here are a few of my sketches:

Designs

More so than both painting and drawing, you will find me “doodling” on any scrap of paper within reach. I am such a prolific doodler that you will find any notebook I own filled with doodles.

This is especially true when it comes to the notebooks and notepads I use at work. Doodling helps me remain focused during meetings and assists in knowledge retention. In fact, one year during high school, I used this technique to remain alert and attentive during my seminary class. I had been issued a red folder by my instructor to keep work in, and while he lectured I would doodle on the front and back of that folder. Over time I had covered the entire folder with designs. I think it was half-way through the school year that I was called into the seminary president’s office to discuss the many “gang” signs and “graffiti” I had defaced my folder with. I do have to admit that the naïveté of both my instructor and the president made me chuckle, and I had a fun time trying to educate them on the difference between doodles/designs and graffiti. Below is a small fraction of the “graffiti” I have plastered all over my notebooks.