I have been drawing and painting for most of my life, always hearing praise and encouragement from family and close friends. But I contribute what I do now to my wife and her family. To hear the same praise from an outside party really pushes you to move forward and keep up the battle.
Though I still work in photography and acrylic at times, lately I have been using Dip Pen and ink as my main medium. The pen has a connection to the past, to tradition, which is something I value greatly. It has edges, faces and points, each one giving you a different stroke or line. The ink is unpredictable and free flowing, instant yet permanent. It forces me to act, not think. In the end I trust my instincts. If the energy slows it is soon time to call it quits. When my hand stops moving the piece is done.
I started painting very ridged and precise. Over the years I have let go of that and limited my tools. By doing this I can create when the notion hits, instead of the opportunity. This results in energizing my work and setting its inner spirit free. My resent work is an attempt to simplify my life and document my past with a single pen stroke. An artist I admire described it as the "Haiku of Art".