Frame USA Employees—Favorite Hobby Friday

Get to know Frame USA Employees–Favorite Hobby Friday

Last week on Favorite Hobby Friday I talked with our favorite monster drawing customer service rep, Kelley Kombrinck. This week I bring you the Favorite Hobby of our Art & Canvas Sales rep, David Estep.

David, tell us about your favorite hobby.

My favorite hobby is creating art.

Your position here makes a lot of sense knowing that; when did you first start creating it?

I have been creating art for as long as I can remember!

So then you must have a pretty neat story behind how you got started, tell our readers all about it. 

I spent my younger years creating art much like every other kid until father gave me a quill pen and ink set that was my Grandfathers. To a young kid it was ancient but it was so cool at the same time. I was fascinated with the result of the ink on paper and spent years working with nothing but. Fast forward to Art School where I studied advertising design and worked a lot with markers creating mark ups. I fell in love with the bright colors of the markers and they now are a part of everything I create.

I was right, that was a pretty unique story, so how long did it take you to become a master at it?

It took me about a year to develop my own unique style before I was happy with the direction it was going. I was influenced by a wide range of sources—fine artists such as Picasso, and Matisse, more contemporary artists like Andy Warhol, psychedelic artists Alex Gray and Ed Paschke and of course comic books. 

So now that you have your style developed, how many hours a week would you estimate you spend on your artwork?

I work on an art project, usually a few at time, almost every day.

So since you do it every day you must have a favorite part, what is it?

Everything from the conceptual to completion. There’s something really cool about each step.

If every part of the process is your favorite, do you even have a least favorite part?

I am not void of having an artist’s block, so when it comes on it can be very frustrating. Sometimes it is difficult to translate my thoughts into images.

Artist’s block is awful, what is some advice for our readers that may want to start creating art?

I truly believe we are all artists, everyone has the ability to create something that expresses a feeling or a thought they may have. So, I say go for it, don’t be afraid of the outcome. Create for yourself first, and the number one idea, enjoy yourself.

So taking your advice, tell us about the most memorable experience with your art.

I have been accepted into a few art shows that are very jury heavy such as Summerfair and the Hyde Park Art Show. I was interviewed in the Citybeat publication and on Channel 9 morning news to promote the 2004 Hyde Park Art Show. It’s really nice to be recognized for my work.

I would say those both would be unforgettable moments; what is one thing you have learned about yourself through mastering art?

There is a release for the voices in my head, my art. Kidding aside, there is some truth to this. I find I have all these artistic ideas and they really start to cry to get out which I feel I must address. Once out, I can move on the next voice/idea.

Art is such a great outlet for working through things! 

Thanks so much David for taking the time to tell our readers about your favorite hobby which is creating art! 

Favorite Hobby Friday continues next week as Frame USA‘s CEO, Daniel Regenold, tells all about his favorite hobby!

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