How it all started
My daughter Alex, then 13, asked me for some tips on drawing portraits. She had two posters on her wall- Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco, both Rolling Stone magazine covers, and she wanted to learn to draw from them. I've also gone on to explore portraits in oil, and my intention for the next year will be portraits in mixed media, where I can bring layers of meaning into my work. My daughter can draw a decent portrait now, but her real love is making music, which I totally respect.
So thanks to my daughter Alex, and all my friends on DeviantArt who support and follow my work (>80k pageviews and 5k watchers) my gallery of Rock Bands and Guitar Heroes portraits has grown. I have an immense appreciation of all the good that music has inspired in me. I love that she continues to introduce me to new music, and that I remain open-minded to enjoy it. Good music should be ageless. And I do respect all kinds of music, though I'm still most influenced by Rock N Roll. My personal music history starts back with the Beatles and the Woodstock era, and Led Zeppelin, but I feel equally excited about so many new artists these days.
What would I really love to achieve with my work? To bring together music fans of all generations. To honor musicians that have inspired me. To take my work beyond the realm of "fan art" into something more meaningful, bringing the essence of substance and spirit together. When you look at one of my works, I want you to hear their music in your head, re-live the gifts they have given us with their song.
And where is this road going to take me? Who knows? Whatever it is, may it be filled with love, laughter and music. I'm up for a new adventure.
