I wanted to be an astronaut.
Growing up witnessing the NASA Apollo missions and moon landings on television, I became obsessed with space exploration at an early age. I would draw crude versions of Saturn V rockets, Lunar Orbiter/Landers, astronauts in space suits….if it was space related I would doodle it.
By the mid 70’s, I saw Evel Knievel on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. That had quite an impact on me. I thought he was cool and I thought motorcycles were even cooler! He was sort of like an astronaut, he wore a white jumpsuit and a helmet. I would recreate his stunts or create my own perilous feats in drawings and illustrations. For a brief moment, I contemplated being a stuntman.
Soon afterwards, my intrigue began gravitating towards Sci-Fi Movies/TV and comic books. These were my main focus of interest for quite sometime, and to some lesser degree, still are. As with any subject that I became enthralled with, I would illustrate elements from these areas. By this time, I was rather good at drawing, and I would receive a healthy amount of support and encouragement from my parents and teachers. They always steered me towards the path of pursuit in doing something art related, later in life. At this time I was seriously contemplating becoming either a comic book illustrator or a storyboard artist. But I would still dream about outer space.
By my teenage years, I was fascinated by music and the culture surrounding rock stars. I was eventually exposed to Punk Rock and my world was forever changed. It wasn’t just the sounds that attracted me, I found the D.I.Y. aesthetic very inviting. I become involved in the local music scene, doing flyers, posters and fanzines. Ultimately, I started playing in bands and in time, one of these bands acquired a label deal. We put out records, toured extensively and had more fun than I can remember. All the while, I continued to do artwork for flyers, posters, ads, t-shirts, record sleeves and more. Not only for my band, but many others across the nation. During this period, I rarely thought about being an astronaut.
But like any party, It came to an end and the days of touring would become thing of the past, and I found myself seeking employment. With the skills and experience I had garnished doing artwork in the music industry, I was able to get a job in the art department of a local print shop. Soon, thereafter, I purchased my first motorcycle.
Initially, the motorbike was just a means of transportation, but like so many of my interest, it became an obsession! I fell in love with motorcycling and the motorcycle culture/lifestyle. I started to paint my helmets which led me to painting helmets for others. My passion for drawing and painting had been rekindled! These days I will paint just about anything!!
Motorcycling has reignited a sense of adventure within me.
These days, I occasionally think about being an astronaut.
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@xavierdarryl