Why I Make Pictures

I’ve been drawing since my mother gave me a pencil and some paper and told me to keep myself busy while she cleaned house.  I was five-years-old then, and mostly I drew horses.  This was because my grandparents had a farm in rural South Carolina, and when they bought it, a retired Tennessee Walker mare named Trixie was part of the deal.  Trixie and I were best friends.  When I visited the farm, I would groom her and feed her sugar cubes.  In return, she would let me ride her bareback.

My grandfather used to say that he bought the farm so his grandchildren would know what life was like there and would love it as much as he did.  Summers on the farm were the most formative times of my life.  The air I breathed; the food I helped to plant, harvest, and eat; the fields I worked and played in; the animals I loved--all this is who I am today.  The illustrations I create now draw directly from that time.  Thanks, grandpa.