1980's
The Early Years (Art during Middle School and High School)
The Early Years (Art during Middle School and High School)
MIDDLE SCHOOL ART CLASSES
Throughout middle school I absorbed every art class. The exercises were beneficial
and taught me new ways to express myself through art. My artwork greatly improved after
attending those classes. I started developing a reputation in school for my drawing
ability.
Ceramic 1981 (11 Years Old) |
Pencil 1981-83 (11-13 Years Old) |
Pencil 1981-83 (11-13 Years Old) |
Pencil 1981-83 (11-13 Years Old) |
Watercolor 1981-83 (11-13 Years Old) |
Pastel 1983 (13 years old) |
Pencil 1985 (14 Years Old) |
ART PROJECTS TURNED REALITY
Pen & Ink 1984 (13 Years Old) |
Pen & Ink 1984 (13 Years Old) |
I took my love of model building and decided to build a real tree fort.
When it was completed
the structure spanned 3 trees and it had three stories in the middle section. It had a
prison, a draw-bridge, 6 rooms, and a lookout platform 20 feet up. We built a
pulley-system to transport supplies from one section to another section. All the materials
were scavenged from the local dump. We scoured the area for plywood, lumber, rope, and
even nails. It was quite a project.
It took the neighborhood gang a few
years to complete. There was probably about a dozen kids from the neighborhood who helped
build this monster. No adults were involved - This was 100% kid built! In the end, my mother's home-owners insurance company
said that the tree fort must come down or they would cancel her policy. That was a sad
day for all the kids who helped build it. Below are the only surviving pictures of the tree fort
of all tree forts (and it was only about half built in these pictures).
My brother (far left) and some of the
neighborhood gang standing on the draw-bridge
MORE ART PROJECTS TURNED REALITY
A constant theme during my middle school years was that my drawings reflected my other interests.
Around this time I had an interest in BMX bikes and freestyle riding which you can see reflected in
these next drawings.
Pencil 1984 (14 Years Old) |
Pencil 1984 (14 Years Old) |
HIGH SCHOOL ART CLASSES
In high school my love of drawing was rekindled. I benefited greatly from the more advanced instruction
given in the high school art program, and this can be seen in these next examples.
Pencil 1985 (15 Years Old) |
Pencil 1985-86 (15 Years Old) |
Pen & Ink 1985-86 (15 Years Old) |
Watercolor 1986 (16 Years Old) |
Pen & Ink 1987 (17 Years Old) |
Pencil 1988 (18 Years Old) |