For as long as I can remember, I've enjoyed drawing. Some of my oldest memories are of my grandmother drawing with me when she'd would babysit for my mother. I think I was around 3 years old at the time.
Now, for perspective, I grew up in a very rural area of Virginia which is literally in the Appalachian trail. I like to say that my life was a daily exposure to glamping. Walking out our front door, you were in the woods and it was glorious but a bit lacking in exposure to art.
I was always drawn to visual things as a kid. Books full of illustrations like Dr. Suess, Peanuts, Jack Tales and eventually comic books. I was really lucky. My first memories are of comics drawn by the legendary John Bryne and George Perez. I couldn't read at the them but I could enjoy the story as it was drawn and they were glorious.
In high school my entire perspective of what art was changed when I was exposed to Al Williamson and Frank Frazetta. Williamson took pen and ink to a level I hadn't really imagined and Frazetta was able to capture raw power and emotion in a single image.
College just continued to expand the concept of what art is and what it can be. So many great artists and illustrators to even try to name them and I find more and more every day.
Today, after a long career doing design and web for corporate America, I finally want to spend time making the art and illustrations that I've grown to love so much.