My First Art Show

Seven months back now, I finally made the effort to participate in an art show, which has always been a goal of mine. I have loved art my whole life, beginning by drawing dinosaurs as a kid. I continued art while growing up drawing lots of sports figures, skiers, and cowboys, or pretty much anything I was really passionate about at the time. Through high school I took a few classes which increased my skills in drawing and painting, but focused on realism. At the time, I hated abstract art and didn't understand it. After I got to college and started to become more intellectual, I started to like abstract art and used it as sort of a rebellious escape from my left-brained engineering studies. It was in these years that impressionism and abstract art became my favorite. I started to create whimsical art full of passion and developed my own techniques. Then, during graduate school, as seems to always happen, my art side went by the wayside for a few years always begging to be brought to the surface again.

Finally, after returning from Europe last year, I found the enthusiasm and time to once again get back into it. An old friend of mine from high school art class, Jay Crider, and I created an art club here in Helena which we called the Illuminarti. Since high school, Jay had pursued art as a career and developed a style all to his own. He has since become one of my favorite painters and inspirations because his painting are AMAZING! He combines the subject matter of Picasso with the painting style of Van Gogh, which are my two favorite classic painters. Please check out Jay's website here.

Our group had some great times together, all having the similar motive to regularly keep art in our lives. We entered the Spring Art Walk here in Helena last April and it was quite a push for us to actually have a deadline. I sort of enjoyed the pressure and was thankful for all the support I got from my art club friends.

The day of the show was awesome. What a different experience to put something on the wall that you created for everyone to see! It was like singing or acting on stage because you are putting yourself out there. You are putting things on the wall from your mind, which can be a daunting feeling--things that came from your experiences, your interpretations, your subconscious. It was truly satisfying to achieve a personal goal of being in an art show at least once. It was also neat to be a part of the art world and to interact as an artist, even if it was for a short time.

A few months after the art walk, I got to participate in another show at my coffee shop. This time, I actually sold one of my paintings to one of the judges! I guess that makes me a real artist now? As promised, here's a few pictures of my art for you to see. Enjoy!

(Rocket Science: Getting back in touch with my left-brain. There is actually a lot of true science to this cartoon-like drawing. The rocket plume colors are what they use to measure temperature during testing and the curly vortex shapes in the plume are called vortex mixing. The fins on the rocket and the nozzle are there to mitigate heat.)


(Violin: I love musical instruments and how they have such sleek curves. I started this painting back in 2004 and finally finished it for the show here in 2009)


(Colossal with Key: one of my colossal characters. The look on his face could be one of innocence and asking forgiveness, or one of greed and evasiveness)


(Guitar Planko: another beautiful instrument)


(Nurture: to represent dreams and passions in life, if they are given the proper nurturing and support, they will grow, just like a plant)


(Clock Tower in Spokane, WA)


(Caught in a Dream: this is the one I sold to a Pediatrician. He said the shapes reminded him of vertebrae in your back, and the colors and friendly faces on the horses would be good for the kids.)


(Biological Father: influenced in part by the artwork with Pearl Jam's album Vitalogy)