Paul Grusche as the Artist.
Born: Royal Oak, Michigan - 1970

It was in Portland, Oregon back in 1993 that I realized "how to draw," as I put it. I bought a sketch book at the local art store and tried drawing a car from memory in black pen. I had a lot of time on my hands and no friends, so it was a perfect time for experimenting. Many failed attempts later, I took a model Ferrari off the shelf and drew what I saw. The car looked semi correct so I continued sketching.

By the end of the year I had moved back to Michigan where I was born and raised. Five nights a week in the bar never sat well with my folks, but what else do you do in Michigan?  I had an advertising job that paid the bills but decided some oils, canvas and another sketch book were in order. With the drafting pencils my dad used in college, I started on the path to painting and drawing. I never trained or took any art classes beyond elementary school.  The coffee cup I made in 2nd grade still adorns my desk with a little man inside holding a finger up as he drowns in your swill.

Painting was just something that I wanted to do. It has become one of those ways to clear my mind as Yoda suggested.  Nothing feels as pure as blending thoughts on canvas. There are always stories I tell through my art so basically I'm no different than thousands of other artists.  But the transformation of thoughts and words into something visual presents a great and fun challenge to me. The results are how to lay out the painting, make it work. It can take months of living, staring and questioning a painting before changes complete it. Some works become a puzzle.

The environment is one common theme that runs through many of my works. I was very heavily influenced by my good friends in the Pacific Northwest, so much so that I left my corporate career to join them running the Fremont Hemp Co. in 1995. We were dedicated to the protecting of the environment through renewable resources and the revival of hemp albeit slightly ahead of our time.

A final note on artwork... I can spend many hours framing my work when money isn't tight. I believe a work is not complete until it is framed, as the artist needs to enhance the mood of the work with the proper colors, shapes and textures surrounding it. If antiques roadshow has taught me anything, the original frame adds value. Therefore, I sign the frame of the painting... and the back of the canvas just in case they get separated.

On the flip side, my advertising career lead me to the foundation of my own marketing firm.  It started with the build of new magazine called Motor Car Market.  The magazine is "Devoted to Stick Shift and Rear-Wheel Drive."  It's a niche in the market I discovered when following my passion for automobiles.  Over the years, I've had some pretty interesting people sign up or post to the magazine/blog, including Jean Jennings EditorAutomobile Magazine, which let me know I was on to something .

While I continue to help friends and family with web development, the core of my firm is dedicated to automotive marketing as my career has been.  Newer clients include a vintage Porsche parts company Classic & Speed Parts, race management software and Vintage Lamborghini Garage.  All my past and present clients are listed in my portfolio.  You can also see my career experience on my LinkedIn profile.

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