I've been drawing since I can remember. My kindergarten teacher, Ms. Edson, was my first art teacher, followed by Ms. Rhodes in junior high, who introduced me to calligraphy. Ms. Jones, my high school art teacher, was a devout Catholic and a stickler for Renaissance Art. Her AP Art History class kicked my ass, but I ended up with a 5. Then came a myriad of art teachers at the University of Arkansas: Larry Swartwood and his wife, Marilyn, who introduced me to graphic design; the late Donald Harington, who almost ended me; and Kristin Musgnug, who was one of the first to treat me like a working adult. To this day, I am still a huge fan of her beautiful work. After I moved to San Francisco, I met Sadie Valeri, who taught me the core components of academic drawing and introduced me to the Flemish, indirect method of painting.
These teachers made all the difference in the world to me. Through them, I ultimately learned that the act of capturing 3D things on a two-dimensional sheet of paper was what I love most.
