When I was a Teenager

My interests have changed over the years. When I was a teen I loved realistic paintings - Robert Bateman, the animal painter was my favourite. Early on I realized an artists can be activists. I subscribed to Wildlife Arts magazine, and took evening watercolor classes.

Looking back, I think I liked realism because it was impressive; I could amaze my peers and teachers. I had a couple drawing books on how to draw animals and I got good at drawing particular poses. I resisted loosening up my work well into university. 

I remember having an art teacher tell me that in order to draw caricatures of reality, you have to first be able to draw realistically. I may have believed this a little too much, and never thought I was good enough or ready to try simplifying my work. Thankfully, I think I'm over this mind block. While I still like Robert Bateman's work, and I am impressed with his environmentalism efforts, I don't feel the need to try and paint like him anymore.