I want to tell you a story about my journey from a small town in Missouri to who I am today. Some of the most cherished memories of my life are those from my early childhood when I grew up on a small farm in rural Illinois to my hometown at Louisiana, MO.
Thanks to the talents of my dad (George) who was also an artist in his own right always encouraged me to do more to becoming a good artist. I was lucky and had an in-house art teacher from the very beginning and my dad’s artistic abilities are definitely something I am grateful he passed down to me.
Every extra minute I had was spent sketching anything and everything. There is a lifetime of drawings in my personal archive of sketchbooks and doodles on scraps of paper. This creative outlet served as an important anchor in my life, especially during those difficult teenage years. Despite the challenges of youth, I managed to graduate from high school. Whew!
After graduating I went to work full-time with my dad at his sign painting business. I started out developing the craft by filling in his outlined letters. Eventually my skills moved up to lettering signs, per his layout. About the time he was ready to let me go at it on my own, I confessed I had something different in mind. I wanted to become a mechanical engineer and architect.
I felt like he really wanted me to work with him and be the one to take over his business yet he supported my desire to do something else I loved and that was drafting. I enrolled in Linn Technical College where I attained my Associate degree in Mechanical/Architectural design.
BIO | James R. Minor
After graduating from Linn Technical College I hired on with McDonnell Douglas Corporation as a technical illustrator and after eight years, I made a change and went into engineering which is where I am today working as a structural designer.
Over the last 30 years I worked for some of the larger aerospace companies like McDonnell Douglas where I got my start, Boeing, Bell Helicopter and GKN Aerospace. Some of the programs I supported were F-15, T-45, AV8B, F-18, Huey Cobra helicopter, TX program and various Advanced Programs.
However, since leaving home as a young man, I have always tried to stay in touch with my first love, which is art. Over the years I continued to sketch, draw and feed my hunger for a creative outlet when I had time. I attended classes at Florissant Valley Community College and Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. I expanded on my drawing skills to include human anatomy and even explored sculpting and painting.
Between the demands of advancing my professional career and raising a family, my first love often had to take a backseat. Even so, my artistic passion could never be fully silenced and several ideas for illustrated books have been an ongoing thought process. I am finally at a place in my artistic journey where I am ready to bring those ideas to life.
Currently I am working towards getting my first book published. It is an entertaining compilation of graphics that offers a humorous play on words and phrases. The title is “What Do You See?” The original sketches were drawn free hand with pen. I then scanned the originals and cleaned them up and colorized each of the graphics in Photoshop.
I am genuinely looking forward to this new chapter in my life and throughout all my trials and successes was the support of my family. Many thanks go out to my wife who stuck with me for so long and to my kids who are the best kids a parent could ever hope to have. You are the greatest! My grandkids are also awesome, but then again, I might be a little bit biased.
Let me sum it up by saying to all the budding artists out there who have a dream ... Here is a little piece of advice from a master of procrastination. Try not to take as long as I did to achieve yours.