Today we’d like to introduce you to Dean Harrison.
Hi Dean, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
As a kid and in to my teens I would draw all of the time. My mom liked to draw and I found myself drawing cars and hot rods and things that I liked. I still have some of my art from the 3rd grade. I was a very hyperactive child and I realize now it helped me keep my mind and hands busy. My brothers were much older than me and my dad had to provide so I had to learn how to entertain myself.
As a teenager I had a couple really good art teachers that inspired me and I started drawing from travel magazines. I loved drawing the beautiful people and seeing how close of a likeness I could get in my art. I also loved the animals and still have a Chimp and turtle from National Geographic.
Then I had to be an adult and start providing for life and ended up only being able to do a couple pieces a year if that. For a long period of my life I had to put that love aside so I could work 12-14 hour days; driving a big grapple truck. This continued until 2021. My now wife had just lost her grandmother and I picked up the pencils and did my first pencil color piece to give her. Since then I have essentially fallen back in love with art and have spent all of my time creating and learning how to create better.
I am now in the process of trying to close my trucking business so that I can dedicate 100% of my time to my art.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I am not professionally educated in art and I have had to scrap to learn by practicing and trying and trying again. Now I am trying to switch careers in my 50s!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I really enjoy pouring my heart in to a pet memorial piece as it helps them heal but also helps me heal at the same time. I spend about 10-15 hours a day in my studio and I love having the freedom of creating whatever inspires me. My favorite pieces I have started making in to prints. One day it may be an animal, another a person, the next a landscape, and then something abstract. I also truly enjoy exploring different mediums and techniques and papers. I have most recently started working in color pointillism which takes an extreme amount of patience.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I actually would love to find a mentor or other creative who I can network with. I need to get out the studio to do that which is hard because I lose myself in it for hours and hours.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.caddyshackstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caddyshackstudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caddyshackstudio
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@caddyshackstudio
