My Artist Half...

'Solace', oil on canvas, by JMCrouse

Hello Steemit Community. I’m just getting started on here, and I thought I would tell you a little about myself as an artist.

Like most kids, I started out drawing, whatever my imagination came up with. At sixteen, I enrolled in a private art college under the tutelage of Southern California based artist, Sarah Young, and my scope broadened a great deal. This is when I learned portraiture, among many valuable techniques, and really came to see myself as a figure artist.

'Portrait of a Woman', oil on canvas, by JMCrouse

'Trey and Christmas', oil on canvas, by JMCrouse

I enjoy a lot of subjects, but attempting to capture something of the emotion and spirit of people, in all their subtlety, is my greatest artistic challenge. I turned that skill to oil painting early in my 20’s. I’ve drawn and painted commission portraits off and on for over 20 years, with my own original compositions mixed in.

'Musicman' (Portrait of Eric), oil on canvas, by JMCrouse

'Season's Change', oil on canvas, by JMCrouse

I've also designed and constructed original custom stained glass, which is a lot of fun, to work with color and light in such a way, but very labor intensive. (I tried to find pictures, but its going to take some digging)

About five years ago, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and suddenly found doing almost all artwork to be too painful to get anything done. I can’t tell you how terrifying it is to feel like you’ve lost such an enormous part of yourself. Since then, I’ve found ways to get my drawing back, although it’s still a much slower process than I would like. Unfortunately, the painting is still beyond me, but I believe with time that I can find ways to get back to that as well.

'Izzy', charcoal and graphite, by JMCrouse

'Brand New', charcoal and graphite, by JMCrouse

In the meantime, going back to basic drawing skills has been a journey of discovery all its own, and I’ve expanded upon techniques and subjects that I never would have thought of when I was younger. Symbolism has come to figure heavily in my current artwork, which I hope to share with you here soon.

I hope you’ve enjoyed some of my pictures, and if you’ve stayed this far, thank you for your time and interest!

Be Well