Birmingham, AL

Drawing

I am a relatively new artist in the Birmingham area, and consider myself a self-taught individual with a God-given talent. My first technical experience with graphite was in the ninth grade. My mother allowed me to take six-week pencil class at a local gallery after being denied art classes in the public school system. Once graduated from High School, the desire to create still remained within, and I took up photography as a means of self-expression. Years of photography helped hone the skills of lighting and composition, while the first love of pencil had been set aside. It wasn%u2019t until I entered college, about seven years ago, that I began drawing between classes. Encouraged by my program director to continue this path, I was exempted from art class in college by presenting a series of drawings for a panel%u2019s review. After graduation, I realized I had an ability to create with the pencil and this was the catalyst that brought me back to my love of drawing. Most of my pencil art has a photo-realistic look, but I also like impressionism. With the past year, I have dared to venture out and have created several pieces in pastel chalk, which should seem to be a natural extension of drawing skills. With both the pencil and pastel in hand, I hope to continue on this path of expression, and hope that others will enjoy viewing my work as much as I enjoy creating it.