n 1973, the same year the US Military Forces withdrew from Vietnam, I graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit. I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, with a double major; in both Painting and Drawing. In the art museums I was visiting, I recognized the importance of drawing in the works I most admired, and though at the time I needed to declare only one major I had taken a second in Drawing. During my studies, the program in the art department focused primarily on ultra-modern painting, with experimental thought behind it.
My wife and I were just beginning life together. I had put myself through university, and after graduation earning money was a priority for me. To accomplish that in the art field appeared a long way off. Further education would have been required and I lacked the incentive and funds to do so. I began working at a lot of different odd jobs to earn what we would need to live on. I primarily worked in grocery stores and factories, picking up side jobs whenever, and wherever I could, to add a little extra income. I continued to paint and draw, but only as time and energy allowed. I desperately wanted to be doing anything else than I was, something creative.
One day while buying art supplies, I came across a Society of Illustrators Annual in the art store. In that book, I found representational painting, which while driven commercially, was creatively viable. More so, I wondered if I might be able to earn an income doing this kind of art. There was still an apprenticeship venue in the Detroit advertising art studios. Interestingly, I found out later, that it had disappeared in most of the other major ad markets around the country. I began seeking interviews with commercial art studios in Detroit. I was naïve, my BFA portfolio was of little interest to them. They were looking for talent that had a focus on development in graphic arts. I came across really stunning portfolios in that genre as I competed for entry-level positions at the graphic art studios.
On one occasion I was granted an interview with the senior creative director at a major ad agency in downtown Detroit. His office was on the 35 th floor of the building with a view of the Detroit River and Canada. I don’t think he spent a full minute looking at my portfolio. The fine examples in my BFA portfolio were of little interest to him. He pushed it back across his desk to me in apparent amazement . . . and then he said:
“Where did you say you went to school? Never mind, your teachers should be hung by the neck (his words, not mine). I want you to stand up, turn around, and leave my office. Then go down the hall, get on the elevator, and leave the building. You can forget about ever being in this business” … pretty harsh words for my tender young spirit!
By the time I reached the lobby, tears were slipping out. As I left the building, I hit the cold air, and the sun and snow blinded me momentarily. I remember it was one of those bitterly cold January days in Detroit when a bright, bright sun, set in a deep blue sky and accompanied by stark white snow, can make it extremely hard to see at first emersion from anywhere inside. When I finally could see again, I was like a soldier coming out of shell shock, with a slow-motion drift back into reality. I had talent and my university studies had taught me a lot, not least of which was to think independently with creative problem-solving. I wanted to make my living in a creative field. I swore as God was my witness, I would prove him wrong! While working days I began night courses in illustration at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit. CCS was formally the Society of Arts and Crafts which had a very good reputation in the Detroit art world. I think my fine art university training was actually an asset, my work had a unique look because of it. I developed a new portfolio focused on illustration and before long, with the help of the head of the graphic
arts department, I landed an apprenticeship at one of the smaller ad art studios in Detroit. Eventually, I would return to CCS to teach advanced courses in Illustration.
By the way, the gentleman who asked me to leave his office and forget about ever getting into the graphic arts business? Well, it turned out he did me a favor when he woke me to my misconceptions. Interestingly, enough, 11 years after that interview occurred, he was retired and that year’s Awards Judge at the Detroit Scarab Club’s Annual Detroit Advertising Art Exhibition. That very same gentleman awarded a work of art I entered Best of Show in Illustration!
I would go on to receive exciting assignments and more awards over my career as an illustrator. Then in 1995, I left the profession to pursue a new passion; Plein-air painting, with pastel!
Truman Hosner
In 1973, the same year the US Military Forces withdrew from Vietnam, I graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit. I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, with a double major; in both Painting and Drawing. In the art museums I was visiting, I recognized the importance of drawing in the works I most admired, and though at the time I needed to declare only one major I had taken a second in Drawing. During my studies, the program in the art department focused primarily on ultra-modern painting, with experimental thought behind it.
My wife and I were just beginning life together. I had put myself through university, and after graduation earning money was a priority for me. To accomplish that in the art field appeared a long way off. Further education would have been required and I lacked the incentive and funds to do so. I began working at a lot of different odd jobs to earn what we would need to live on. I primarily worked in grocery stores and factories, picking up side jobs whenever, and wherever I could, to add a little extra income. I continued to paint and draw, but only as time and energy allowed. I desperately wanted to be doing anything else than I was, something creative.
One day while buying art supplies, I came across a Society of Illustrators Annual in the art store. In that book, I found representational painting, which while driven commercially, was creatively viable. More so, I wondered if I might be able to earn an income doing this kind of art. There was still an apprenticeship venue in the Detroit advertising art studios. Interestingly, I found out later, that it had disappeared in most of the other major ad markets around the country. I began seeking interviews with commercial art studios in Detroit. I was naïve, my BFA portfolio was of little interest to them. They were looking for talent that had a focus on development in graphic arts. I came across really stunning portfolios in that genre as I competed for entry-level positions at the graphic art studios.
On one occasion I was granted an interview with the senior creative director at a major ad agency in downtown Detroit. His office was on the 35 th floor of the building with a view of the Detroit River and Canada. I don’t think he spent a full minute looking at my portfolio. The fine examples in my BFA portfolio were of little interest to him. He pushed it back across his desk to me in apparent amazement . . . and then he said:
“Where did you say you went to school? Never mind, your teachers should be hung by the neck (his words, not mine). I want you to stand up, turn around, and leave my office. Then go down the hall, get on the elevator, and leave the building. You can forget about ever being in this business” … pretty harsh words for my tender young spirit!
By the time I reached the lobby, tears were slipping out. As I left the building, I hit the cold air, and the sun and snow blinded me momentarily. I remember it was one of those bitterly cold January days in Detroit when a bright, bright sun, set in a deep blue sky and accompanied by stark white snow, can make it extremely hard to see at first emersion from anywhere inside. When I finally could see again, I was like a soldier coming out of shell shock, with a slow-motion drift back into reality. I had talent and my university studies had taught me a lot, not least of which was to think independently with creative problem-solving. I wanted to make my living in a creative field. I swore as God was my witness, I would prove him wrong! While working days I began night courses in illustration at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit. CCS was formally the Society of Arts and Crafts which had a very good reputation in the Detroit art world. I think my fine art university training was actually an asset, my work had a unique look because of it. I developed a new portfolio focused on illustration and before long, with the help of the head of the graphic
arts department, I landed an apprenticeship at one of the smaller ad art studios in Detroit. Eventually, I would return to CCS to teach advanced courses in Illustration.
By the way, the gentleman who asked me to leave his office and forget about ever getting into the graphic arts business? Well, it turned out he did me a favor when he woke me to my misconceptions. Interestingly, enough, 11 years after that interview occurred, he was retired and that year’s Awards Judge at the Detroit Scarab Club’s Annual Detroit Advertising Art Exhibition. That very same gentleman awarded a work of art I entered Best of Show in Illustration!
I would go on to receive exciting assignments and more awards over my career as an illustrator. Then in 1995, I left the profession to pursue a new passion; Plein-air painting, with pastel!
Truman Hosner
