The Artist at Play

This is my latest illustration, and it marks the beginning of a "Renaissance Period" for me. Over the past 15 years, as life has gotten in the way, I have found myself struggling to find the motivation to create personal art. One of the major downsides to working in the creative industry is that it can really drain you of the energy necessary to create on your own. As I found myself slowly getting sucked into the daily grind that society demands you play a part in, my artistic output began to suffer more and more. This is one of the main reasons why I left my corporate job. Working 50+ hours a week and checking your office voice mail over the weekend has a remarkably adverse affect on your ability to indulge in the finer things. Interestingly, things did not immediately change when I became freelance, as I actually found myself doing way more art for hire type stuff, and consequently became even less motivated to move.

Towards the end of last summer, I began to feel a malaise that would stir me into action in a way that I haven't experienced since my youth. I was growing increasingly dissatisfied with the realities of being a freelance artist, dealing with mostly non-creative yet heavy handed clients. On top of everything else, as the economy started to bomb, I began to lose work from the majority of my customers who were mostly small businesses. As a result, I felt unfulfilled as I had spent so much time and effort accomplishing creative things, but had very little to show for it. I realized that I had been coasting along in life and my goals of being an accomplished artist were nowhere near realized. It was time to make a change.

Which brings us to this piece...

With my new-found determination, and a little motivational help from my partner in crime Ryshu, I set off on a journey to fulfill my destiny as a master of my art. The illustration above originally started off as a drawing in my sketchbook a few years back. I decided I wanted to evolve it somewhat so I scanned it into the computer where I then proceeded to "clean it up". Little did I know that it would morph into what it has become.

The Artist at Play actually has a double meaning. The first, more obvious one is that it is a reflection of the "creator" piecing together his creation. Although at first glance it may appear that the subject of this piece is the robot, this is not actually the case. In reality the composition is intended to reveal the character of the unseen mad scientist feverishly constructing his work with intense passion. The meticulous organization of the chaotic elements needed to make this assembly are designed in such a way as to expose the personality of the artist. And this is where the double meaning comes into play. In order for me to feel satisfied with a piece, I have to labor over it. By "giving birth" to my work I can feel confident that I've lived up to the artistic standard embedded deep within my subconscious. I also struggle with a dual, yet equally competing artistic nature. On one end I have a playful, abstract sense and on the other I have a perfectionist need for realism. I am in love with both of these styles, and they both demand my equal attention. The Artist at Play is a perfect example of how I indulge both of these qualities and it truly is the only way I can produce work and love it.

This work was recently featured as a "Daily Deviation" over at Deviant Art, which is basically a social networking site for artists. It was a huge hit, and in one day received over 8,000 views. I can't even put into words how gratifying it is as an artist to receive that kind of response. Thanks again to Ryshu for the initial recommendation that got it featured...

So there you have it...that one that started it all. This will of course be the first of many to come. Feel free to check out my other illustrations over at my DeviantArt Gallery

Thanks!

Eric

Welcome to my blog

Who am I?

From the moment I was able to grab onto a drawing tool, it was obvious I had a thing for being an artist. I was constantly drawing on anything that I could find and I had a definite passion for expressing myself this way. So it was perfectly natural that I would study art all through my early education and eventually pursue it from a career perspective.

Once I graduated from high school I attended Florida State University, where I earned a B.A. in Studio Art. During this time I was exposed to all facets of classical art techniques and it was an experience that honed my skills as a visual artist and only served to drive me further into pursuing it full time.

Upon completing my degree at F.S.U. I moved to Atlanta where I would specialize my studies and earn an A.A. in Computer Animation. This experience was most beneficial as it served to expose me to more modern methods as well as professionals working in the industry.

While I was finishing with this degree, I took a job working in a corporate marketing dept. During this time I was in charge of Retail Merchandising and my responsibilities included developing merchandising programs and managing various projects designed to support the many brands of the company. This was a great "real world" experience, and it gave me a tremendous amount of knowledge necessary to branch out on my own. After almost 6 years, I left the company to start my own business. My goal was to work freelance and pursue the kind of creative opportunities I felt were lacking in my career to date, and with that determination I successfully founded The Visual Guy. That was in February 2005 and I have not looked back since. I continue to experience new challenges and I have the opportunity to handle a wide variety of creative assignments, which I love.

In fact, this has been one of the best decisions of my life and there is great satisfaction in knowing I am pursuing a calling that was obviously apparent so many years ago.

Feel free to view my website The Visual Guy to get a feel for my style.

Thanks!

Eric