Last night at church we were all sitting around for a Lenten discussion. The topic was "passion" and what it means to have passion in our lives. As we went around the room, I was pretty amazed at some of the different perspectives people were bringing to the table. Some perspectives were tempered by age or life experience. Still others were affected by race and cultural factors. It was a pretty lively discussion. Mandy related how her passion in life is working with young children. Her voice shaking with emotion, she went on to relate how her passion sustains her during the difficult times and how she is always amazed at what she finds around each new corner--the happy surprises that occur when you work with children. I was awestruck--not only at how well Mandy was able to articulate her feelings but at the fact that I've never heard her talk at such length about what drives her in her job.
It was around this point in the discussion that a person offered their perspective. She was an older woman and her life experience was that you worked to provide for your family, to keep your head above water. Passion was a luxury that few people she knew could afford to give themselves over to. She went on to say that she felt passion was, at times, an indulgence--a distraction almost, from what is important in life. Because she is the parent of three young children, she felt like she was ill-equipped to handle the passion that can so consume the lives of her kids.
I was pretty saddened by this, most especially because I know and adore her kids. Passion is something that they happily have in abundance. I began to think about how that passion is being stamped out of them in school. In my experience, some public schools find little value in the passions of the children they are charged to educate. Instead, they force them to sit in rows, stand in line, keep to themselves, speak only when spoken to. That is, they are compelled to conform to the culture of the school or curriculum and not to make themselves a problem by questioning the prevailing "social structure" of the school. At least two of the children are, in spite of their amazing academic aptitude, struggling somewhat keeping their behavior within the appropriate and acceptable boundaries laid down by the school. So, while they are academically proficient, they still draw the ire of their teachers because they have a hard time sitting still. COULD IT BE THAT THEY'RE BORED?????
I understand and sympathize with the challenges facing our public schools. They are educating HUGE numbers of children and doing it with very limited resources and, in some cases, limited local support. Public school teachers are further hamstrung by standardized testing and a stunted curricula. Local school districts face a multitude of challenges and I applaud anyone who teaches in our public schools. I only wish we could find ways to bring the wonder and passion back into learning. It only takes a LITTLE bit more creativity. Let students have some ownership over their learining space. Let their work and achievements be what is most visible when one walks through the front doors of the school--rather than institutional looking grey walls and teacher-made bulletin boards. Can teachers find the time, while working within the curriculum, to give students assignments that are challenging and fun and aren't just a worksheet ripped from some workbook? Can administrators and teachers keep order and discipline and still allow children to express themselves without shouting them down? I hope that there are more possibilities available to us now than when I was in school.
I don't know... I think I am feeling the pangs of impending fatherhood on the horizon. I am filled with hope for our kids in the world. They have so much to look forward to--why must we rob them of the passion that they are so going to need later in life? Who knows?
End of rant...
Here is a color study that I whipped up of a Cherokee warrior. It's a fast, speed-rendering I did to try out some different color schemes. During the French and Indian War, Francis Marion fought with what was probably the provincial militia against the Cherokee indians. The Cherokee were imbedded deep in the back country--mainly in the northwest or Piedmont region of South Carolina. Clemson University is perfectly situated in what would have been the heart of Cherokee country during the eighteenth century--right where the Blue Ridge mountains "yawn their greatness..." In fact, Fort Hill was the site of Fort Prince George, I believe. Fort Hill looks down on the East end zone of Death Valley, which in the eighteenth century would have been prime real estate...
This is a depiction of Francis Marion and some of his men fighting some Cherokee. During the war, Marion led a small detachment (possibly around 32 men) of militia against the Cherokee. During the engagement, all but 8 men were lost in what must have been a bloody battle. Of course, the irony in all of this is that many of the men who, at the time, were fighting for England and the colonies, had, until recently, lived in harmony with the Cherokee. Marion, in particular, was said to have counted among his friends several Cherokee Indians... I am not positive that this was the case as I am not sure how many Cherokee were living and working openly in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina at the time. Who knows? Anybody have any ideas out there? Please do let me know.
HAPPY EASTER Y'ALL!
Another Revolutionary War soldier. This is the Second South Carolina Regt. which Francis Marion commanded for a time prior to the Fall of Charleston in 1780. These are really my favorite uniforms of the Revolution with Tarleton's green jacketed dragoon uniforms a close second. You'll notice the heraldic crescent on the leather cap. It's the same crescent that appears on the SC state flag. The significance of the crescent still puzzles me. Many eighteenth century uniforms featured heraldic symbols and the crescent has been seen on both American and British uniforms from the era. It's significance in heraldry is meant to signify the "second son" or, perhaps, second regt. It also is heavily connected to Moors/Muslims. Who knows? Anybody out there have any ideas?
Hey y'all... Here is a detail of the two page spread I've been working on for the picture book on Francis Marion. I'm pretty proud of it. Y'all let me know what you think. Constructive comments are welcome! 
The text will be on the right--or facing page where the smoke and stuff is. I didn't want to totally fill this scene with people since the focus is primarily on Marion. As I mentioned before, I am really trying to get the feel of the old Howard Pyle/N.C. Wyeth paintings. Those old illustrations captured my imagination as a kid. It wasn't that I was concerned with how many buttons any uniform had--or even if the depictions of the battles were particularly spot on accurate. It's that were so DRAMATIC. It's the stories that they told. Nobody painted pirates like Howard Pyle--and N.C. Wyeth was the only illustrator I ever associated with Robin Hood. I have some pretty high hopes for this project. Stay tuned and y'all let me know what you think.
This is a detail of a painting I did for the picture book about Francis Marion. It's still very much unfinished. I have yet to add smoke and other elements to it. It depicts Marion directing the last cannon volley from Ft. Sullivan at the British fleet in Charleston harbor during the first British attempt to take the city from the sea. I'm pretty pleased so far. This represents a day's work--I hope to have it finished by the end of the day tomorrow. I really want this book to be a slam dunk--pictures, words everything... Y'all let me know what you all think. 
While I was working on CHASING THE SWAMP FOX, I had the opportunity to spend some time with some reenactors, riding horses and stuff (I'm the portly gent in modern dress in the foreground). It was amazing fun. I have few material needs in my life--I don't need a lot of stuff. However, if I were ever to have the means I would definitely get myself a horse or even a couple of horses--maybe move out to the country... I don't know... Maybe I'm too citified.
Thanks so much for the comments y'all. Here's what I've come up with. The card itself will be 4/6 on matte coated--mainly because that holds up the best. Please let me know what you think. I am working on another card to gear towards another targeted audience--mainly kids... We'll see what happens. I'll let you all know what happens!
I am currently in the process of putting together a self promo card to send out to some prospective clients. The reason this illustration looks so light is because it's an underpainting I did in Photoshop. I will take the underpainting and finish it in Painter. The caption is going to read, "Tasty Illustration!"
I just finished this piece today for the Revolutionary War book I am working on. It shows the British fleet attacking Ft. Moultrie in preparation for taking the port city of Charleston, SC seen in the distance. Before the British could attack the city, they had to run the gauntlet of Charleston Harbour--which is treacherous in any era, and get past the guns on Ft. Moultrie on Sullivan's Island. Today, you can go to Ft. Moultrie--now a national park, and see the city from the same perspective that the city's defenders probably did. As the boats were sailing in, the British army, having landed at Tybee Island to the south, were busily laying siege to the city from the western side. On May 11th, 1780 Heny Lincoln surrendered the city of Charleston and over 5,400 continentals. It was the greatest loss suffered by the Americans to date. 
I know, like, nothing about jazz actually. This is what sprang to mind... I just have this picture of a bunch of guys with cigarettes in a smoky bar listening to music. I don't know, I have to see if I can figure this jazz thing out...
I then tighten up the anatomy and create a nude figure which I will then add clothing and other accoutrements to.
Here is the final blackline. As you can see, I moved the right arm a bit and made some other minor adjustments to the pose but all in all a pretty sound figure drawing. I should also add that clothing and weapon and other period reference images are critical in clothing and outfitting the figure. I will now bring the image into Painter and complete the rendering in color with the blackline image on a seperate multiply layer. I'll post more on that later.
Here is a redcoat for the aforementioned book. Notice that his uniform isn't clean. It's dirty and there are buttons missing--exactly as there would be. The British were well supplied during the Revolution and their red coats were often stolen and turned inside out and then re-dyed by the rebels. One thing that REAAAAAALLLLY bugged me about THE PATRIOT was how clean the uniforms were. There were no sweat stains or dirt visible. No missing buttons. Certainly not at all the way it would have been.
Here is the latest illustration I am doing for a series on the American Revolution in South Carolina. It's for a book that is going to be published by my mom and dad's small press. It's supposed to be a picture book for young students--like third graders. They're going to pay me which is cool and I really dig the subject matter. It just means I have to put all the other stuff I'm doing on hold for awhile. 