CANDACE LAW
“ Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life , or whether that station will be held by anybody else , these pages must show .”
— Charles Dickens , David Copperfield
I loved art as a small child . What can be better than a sheet of paper and a box of Crayola crayons to create a vision of my world , real or imaginary ? But my parents , as children of the Depression , strongly pushed me onto a path that would allow me to work and provide for myself .
With a degree in English Literature ( if I decided to become a teacher ) and vocational classes in typing and business , I went to work on the management side of advertising . I eventually earned a Master of Business degree and then started my own company making custom laminated office furniture . Not a bad life .
But all those colors of wood and laminates … all those designs and drawings of furniture and offices . Even then , in the late 80 ’ s , I couldn ’ t help but see a creative process that beckoned .
During the economic downturn in the early 90 ’ s , I had to close my company and decided to take design classes at a community college — just until I figured out what I wanted to do . The college required a foundation of art classes leading into design , and I felt born again by rediscovering the joy of drawing and painting .
I ended up enrolled in dual architecture and interior design programs at a technical university , where I was introduced to some of the best artists in the Detroit area who taught while maintaining their own art studios . It was there that a new degree was developed — a BFA in Architectural Illustration — the first of its kind in the country . That program put me on a path I am grateful for every day .