A Very Sketchy Super Power
Text by Emily K. Alberts Photos courtesy of Mike Wade For Mike Wade, the memory of first falling in love with art is as vivid as a 64-pack of Crayola crayons. Though he was only 5 years old, Mike recalls going to the local five & dime store with his grandmother, Ada, like it was only yesterday. “She bought me the nice pack of crayons, you know, with the sharpener in the back?” And a coloring book of zoo animals. “My grandparents didn’t have much, so it was a very special outing.” When they got back home, he remembers watching in awe as his grandmother colored in a picture of a flamingo, using different hues of pink, shading techniques and highlights. “It was a work of art. I was completely blown away.” As it turns out, Mike would come to discover that
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artistic talent was indeed a family trait. One that he, too, possessed. “Dad was also very good at it, but he just doodled here and there. I still have a drawing of The Incredible Hulk he did for me when I was 7, sketched on notebook paper.” Born and raised in Giles County, Mike’s talent started to get noticed in grade school. He continued to pursue art in high school, where his art teacher, Susan Shaw, recognized his skill and recommended that he attend Concord College, just as she had. He followed her advice and studied graphic design and commercial art at Concord University. Though Mike had the aspiration – and the talent – to become a full-time Illustrator, life took him on a different course. He spent eight years working for a local newspaper
S ept/Oct 2021
