I have been drawing most of my life, but I didn’t pursue art as a full-time career until 2020. Throughout high school and college I excelled with drawing - I was given multiple full-ride opportunities to art school based on my portfolio, but, unfortunately, academically, I wasn’t eligible for admission. I’m originally from Indiana, and I went to a small university in southern Indiana where I received my Associate Degree in Fine Arts. After working for a few years in a small retail art shop and cooking professionally in restaurants, I decided to go back to college to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management. I was laid off from my full-time job in March of 2020 due to Covid-19, and I decided to pursue art as my full-time career.

I have always been drawn to photography.  There is something fascinating about how you can take something so ordinary, point your camera at it and capture a moment in time. By adjusting the lighting, angle, and facial expression you can create an image that is relatable and beautiful. Hence, this is why I draw from photographs. I strive to create the same feeling as if you’re looking at a photograph, but I add my own touch and my own emotion to elevate YOUR senses.

I love my dogs, and I thought a couple of years ago how fun it would be to draw them. I wanted a piece of art that captured their personality and commemorated their life in my family. I didn’t realize I could make a career out of drawing pets until I completed the piece I had done of my own dog. After seeing it, a friend asked me to draw their dog as well. Now it’s taken off, and I couldn’t be more blessed to be able to live my dream of creating art for a living. I currently live in Central East Florida with my two dogs.

-Jessy Crawford