Early on I found that each act of creating art was catharsis. Not only could I clear emotions; but I could use it to speak for me. I felt that I was successful with it when I could provide my viewer with just a glimpse of that emotional action - that it expressed for them; that it spoke for them. I found that I needed it; and began to accept that others needed it as well.

Initially I graduated with a Fine Arts degree in Interior Design; I was vice president of the student American Society of Interior Designers - however; it wasn't the fluffing of pillows that I enjoyed - it was the perspective renderings. I loved the challenge of being able to perfectly match samples to my renderings; I enjoyed the exact detailed work required in creating perspectives by hand. I did spend ten years doing contract and residential perspective renderings/interior design; for interior designers and later offered line drawings of homes for real estate companies.

Ascender's Perspective Renderings

When the real estate market bottomed out I expanded my horizons to that of a graphic designer and won over 65 national and local awards in the areas of graphic design and marketing. 10 of the awards were DANDYS which recognize outstanding automotive advertising published in newspapers by franchised automobile dealers; these are usually done by ad agencies - it was unusual for a designer in a newspaper to win one - let alone 10.

Ascender's Advertising, Marketing and Awards

Instead of using clip art I began to pull my own line drawings into advertisements and marketing which gave me opportunity to get my art style out into the world.

What I most took away from this designer job was to master completing detailed work under a deadline; an art unto itself!

Ascender's Illustrations; Line Drawings

I began doing pointillism pieces when I would return home from working on graphic deadlines. The pointillism pieces allowed me to de-stress and again concentrate on the detailed work I had done while doing perspective renderings. I completed a series of American Indian Pointillism and then shifted into concentrating on children's expressions.

Ascender's Pointillism

Ascender's Pointillism now available in theEtsy Store

I moved to California at this point, working on a free lance basis. Intrigued by the assorted art styles I began to challenge myself to self-learn assorted art mediums. Rather then having a subject in mind on what it was that I wanted to create I began to step back and let what was inside come out without judgments or expectations. After the years of mastering commercial art this was extremely cleansing; true catharsis. Doing art in this manner I leave myself open to the infinite creativity. I began to write my illustrated novel. I do one such piece a day and in doing so find that I am capturing my journey on paper - resulting in a limitless variety of subject matter and techniques.

Ascender's Oil Pastels

Both oil and dry pastels capture the emotional effects of a world in constant motion. Using a spontaneous approach I can capture the bursts of light with bold vibrant radiant colors. This allows me to be be inspired from an inner knowledge. I do not allow limits of judgments or expectations concerning the outcome. Pastels more easily captures a wide range of radiant colors on paper.

Ascender's Dry Pastels

Collage and mixed media explores art beyond the limits of traditional painting by capturing a multitude of artistic expression. This method successfully combines newspaper and magazines (typographical as well as pictorial elements), wallpaper and other decorative papers, posters, letters, post cards, woven cloth, all kinds of organic substances such as leaves, flower petals, bark, butterfly wings, sawdust, coffee grounds, potato peel as well as sand, string; etc. The range is limitless. These fragments combine to create one-of-a-kind pieces which can not be found elsewhere. Viewing becomes an active experience in which there are as many explanations as there are viewers.

Ascender's Collages/Mixed Media

I spend months on my Scatterlings© line of art. This self-directed enchantment art combines actual foliage with watercolor and color pencil mediums. Hidden among the actual and rendered foliage are an enchanted assortment of Scatterlings'©; mythical animals and fairies.

These one-of-a-kind folk art pieces take up to a year to complete as flowers and leaves are collected, pressed, preserved and finally hidden within a vision that evolves continually. Although preserved in the same manner as a piece of handmade paper; each original is in essence a 'live' piece of art. Each finished vision must be framed immediately to prevent deterioration of the pressed flowers and leaves. Packets of silica gel are placed between the original and the frame to absorb humidity. I am presently looking for a gallery for this set of Scatterlings ©.

Ascender's Scatterlings©

Learn all the rules; then have fun bending them. Challenge yourself and you will continue to grow and succeed as an artist. Don't become dependent on another source to provide this for you. Life is going to hand you challenges everyday - turn them into your muse.