Greeting Cards--Paul Kmiotek

Like most kids, I started drawing at a very young age. One of my earliest memories is of drawing a picture of my father with his hair straight up and flat on the top (the epitomy of style back then). I continued to draw (mostly cars and monsters) through high school, and into the years following graduation (mostly flyers for my band at the time – The Torpedos). But in all of that time, I’d never taken any formal lessons. I consider this to be a clear case of nature over nurture, as my father is an incredibly gifted watercolor artist.

Although I’ve drawn a few cityscapes, the subjects of most of my artwork are naturalistic – either animals or landscapes; themes that appeal to my lifelong love of nature. I’ve worked in several media; pastels (too smudgy), watercolor (too runny), pencil (not dark enough), etc., but I like pen and ink the best. Although it’s not a very forgiving technique, I’m drawn to its permanence and depth.