I first met Matt Kish when he was being interviewed on The Art Show, a program on Dayton’s public television station.  I was there to take behind-the-scenes photos, but Matt’s story was so interesting that I found myself listening instead of shooting.

Matt had been making art for years, with little commercial success or recognition.  He finally decided he would quit making art, but only after completing one last project.  Moby-Dick had always been important to Matt, and he decided to make it the linchpin of his final art project.  He decided to make one drawing a day for 552 days, with each drawing inspired by one of the 552 pages in Moby-Dick.

Matt posted each drawing online.  They began to attract viewers, then speaking engagements, then an agent, and finally a publisher.  Far from being Matt’s final project, the Moby-Dick drawings seem like they might be a beginning to a successful art career. Continue reading →