Inspiration

A.M. Leahy

The Ducati blade is all finished and I will have the second installment of that how-to posted but I wanted to write a little bit about inspiration for this blog entry. In advance, thank you for indulging me for a moment.

"Deep Recon at Shau" 22"x28" watercolor - A.M. Leahy

I wanted to write a bit about a man that has had a profound impact on my artistic life. This person is Albert Michael Leahy. My Uncle Mick. My earliest recollections of him were always based around two things, art and education. I was this little, wide eyed kid dying to have him draw dinosaurs and airplanes the moment I saw him. I remember it as if it were yesterday. That absolutely magical moment sitting at my Grandmothers dining room table as he gave me that smile and pulled a pen from his shirt pocket to draw. Each drawing however was not just a doodle to pacify an overly excited boy. I see now that each drawing was really his opportunity to give us all a lesson in art. He would talk about composition, repetition with variation, perspective and line quality. I would watch him create these images and not even realize that he was guiding my artistic foundation. I would leave with my T-Rex drawing but more importantly, I always left with a few more tools to make my own art.

"Homecoming" 22"x28" watercolor - A.M. Leahy

As I grew and learned, I would look to him at each stage. Always being able to count on those few precious moments during his hectic visits. He would always find the time to look at what I was working on and show me what was good and where I needed to work harder. I distinctly recall being more nervous showing him my portfolio than showing my professors at my senior review in college. Even this past summer getting time to sit with him and talk about the art world, showing him my new work and getting his insights was as inspirational for me as it was for that little boy thirty years ago.

As I push hard to move forward with my art, I think of my Uncle quite a bit these days. My favorite thoughts of him however come when I am asked to draw for my kids and my nieces on their visits. I now understand that smile he had for me all those years ago.