“I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic then to love people.” - Van Gogh

 

I create art to give people the chance to see a different perspective, or to feel a genuine emotion or to see the invisible individual. Throughout my youth, the majority of my art pieces were made as a gift for someone I loved - a gift that would speak to them personally. Portraits of favorite celebrities, pets or family members were quite common. I drew inspiration from the enlivened portraits done by John Singer Sargent, Caravaggio, Rembrandt and Van Gogh. 

 

When it isn’t feasible or practical to draw from life I will draw from photos I have taken. My process is then to create life from that source - allowing my thoughts, feelings, and inner arguments to present themselves on my paper. With every piece, I aim to attract the eye of the viewer into an experience: whether this is to shed new light on the subject, see through different eyes, or emote a feeling.

 

My goals as an artist are to continue to understand and share the love languages and personalities of the world. As I continue to experience life, I learn more and more from diverse cultures, ethnicities, and individuals. I become aware of what they love and who they are. I want to spread knowledge, beauty, and truth around those identities. I wish to inspire change with my art. I wish to use my art so that others may gain from it and be honored by it.

 

Drake, Bio

 

     Hello to all! I am Leo Drake and I recently moved to Waseca. I grew up on a hobby farm in St. Joseph with my four siblings. As a religious homeschooling family, we got to see and learn about the Classical masters' portrayals of Christ. Ever since I opened my first Catholic art book, I was drawn in by Rembrandt, Caravaggio, and Michelangelo, to name a few. Throughout my artistic journey I have made many copies of the Old Masters' works. I have also segued into copies of Norman Rockwell and begun to delve into my own original art.

     I am mainly self-taught with a college year and a few art classes under my belt. Portraits are my main love. However, I enjoy drawing anything I can give life, anything that can touch someone's emotions, and most of all, anything that can showcase an individual's unique beauty.