Today we’d like to introduce you to J.D. Milligan.

Hi J.D., it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?

By night, I’m an artist.

By day, I’ve been a picture framer, apple tech specialist, graphic designer, high school art teacher, car salesperson, book restoration specialist, book salesperson, tennis teaching professional, and tennis racket stringer.

But all to support my love of drawing and painting.

On November 19th, 2024, I finished my first novel, Rose Grey and Pirates, Nymphs, and A Smoking Monkey, a young adult fantasy novel.

But its been after a lifetime of developing my paintings, graphics, and writing skills. I always wanted to write and illustrate a book like Howard Pyle’s since I was little.
But writing the story was something I never thought I could.

I have loved his students’ works, Frank Schoonover, Meade Schaffer, and NC Wyeth oil paintings and drawings of the Brandywine School era.

My mother’s mother was an artist. She painted on glass and display the work with foil behind it, a particular style of art of that time. My grandmother, Nanny, also painted gold leaf paint on trays, a decorative thing. When I visited Nanny, she would let me paint various projects— by myself. Being only 11 years old and allowing me to paint refined art projects was very daring of my grandmother. But she obviously felt like I could handle it, and I kind of liked that. It made me want to paint more. But most importantly, while I was painting with her, she would let me—sip her coffee.
I believe she was the instigator of my coffee-drinking addiction.
It was then I knew I wanted to be an artist— forever!!.

My father’s parents were a significant influence as well, particularly the paintings they had collected, a Howard Pyle student, Frank Schoonover specifically.
When I visited their house, the art was unavoidable. Big, colorful, monstrous paintings— you couldn’t miss them. I believe they were as large as I was tall. When I saw the enormous, bright pictures with thick impasto textures, big, bold strokes of warm crimson sunsets with cerulean blue skies, the colors made my eyes pop out of my head. I was always like —WOW! Some of the paintings, a Native American man in a southwestern landscape, a soldier in the Revolutionary War, landscapes of the Delaware countryside, a mythology-themed piece all held my attention. The way they were masterfully painted —was mesmerizing. I had no idea how they did it. But I wanted to learn. I wanted to learn what the trick was. I was sure— there was a trick to it.

No doubt, my mother, my creator goddess, was a huge influence on me. After all, we shared the same name. My mother was a great artist of interior decorating. Our house was always perfectly embellished with the finest things….antique furniture, beautiful scalamandra fabrics, sculptures, paintings. There was no doubt I was influenced by my surroundings. Knitting, sewing, needlepoint, and many other brilliant crafts were also her artistic gifts. She taught me and my siblings all of these crafts too.

But my first formal art trading class was when I was 13 years old. I took a figure drawing class at Delaware Art Museum —thanks to my mother. She knew I loved art, and I wanted to study how to paint the figure.

In highschool, I was fortunate to get into my first group art show at 17 years old, some of my nude figure drawing sketches were exhibited.

When I finally entered art school, I was taking BFA graphic design classes by day and painting classes in the evening.

But it wasn’t until Corcoran School of Art in Washington DC that I was influenced the most. I finally learned that trick I was looking for.

I learned a particular French Underpainting process with artist Bill Neumman and a photo realism process with Sarah Tuft. In particular, Master Neumman taught me how to paint with the Maroger Medium by Jacques Maroger, an infamous chemist that figured out this special gel medium. This painting medium was supposedly used by the old Flemish masters. It was a special glaze that enabled you, the painter, to layer your paint. It was amazing and definitely- a game changer for me.

After college, I immediately wanted to exhibit. The steeplechase, fox hunting, and carriaging scenes of Chester County became my subjects. I studied Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt’s works for inspiration.

My painting subjects were stories of the thrill of the race to paddock scenes before and after races. Ballet, another formal and theatrical scene, was a subject too. At the age of 25, I was selected for a group exhibit of Sport in Art at the Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over the years, I completed a series of paintings on the Delaware Symphony and the Delaware Russian Ballet.

I’ve been published in magazines and books, such as Artists of Chester County and 100 Artists of the Brandywine. In 2000, one of my pieces was exhibited in a private collection, Interior Landscape, at The Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware. My work was also selected to be a poster for the Winterthur Museum Point – to – Point Steeplechase Events for several years.

Portraits commissions have been a big part of my life. I find my favorite portrait artists are Andrew and Jamie Wyeth’s work. I’m always inspired by the detail, interesting compositions, and luminosity of their painting styles.

But in the year 1999, I knew I wanted to illustrate a book. It was a project that I remembered I wanted to do as a child. I felt I could combine my love of paintings and story-telling style into a book. I was determined to find a writer. There wasn’t the platforms to connect with creatives like there is now, so at that time, I ended up starting to write myself.

I got a job working part-time for a book dealer, Rosamond DuPont. I got lucky. At the store, I was tutored in creative writng by a amazing writer from England, Art Milward. He was critical in teaching me the basics— write your ending first then start at the beginning. I liked his style. I was considered an impressionist style painter, and he was impressionistic in his writing style, so his style of writing clicked for me.

In 2011, I entered the University of the Arts masters degree program in fine arts. It was extremely helpful. Eileen Neff was strategic in giving me the green flag to do drawings as a final body of work. I had always thought paintings was the only exceptable art to exhibit before that.

However, the odd thing was, as soon as I made up my mind about writing this book, I met writers… and more writers… and more writers …. which made me think—this was a sign. I’m suppose to do this.

Unfortunately in 2013, my artist dream was put on hold. I dropped out of the masters program. My dad was bedridden, and my mom was unable to care for herself and him. I was nominated among my siblings to live and care for them. I got a job selling cars, while I cared for my parents. But I kept working on my manuscript. Initially, I had written a group of short stories as I was developing my writing skills. Wanting to write a novel, I took one of the stories, a rose myth, and started transforming it into a novel. I was hoping to illustrate it like my hero Howard Pyle.

In 2023, I tried to get a literary representative, but no luck there.

In 2024, I decided to self- publish and finished my book myself, publishing it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble this November 2024.

It’s been a long road of learning, but worth the creative journey. I look forward to Rose Grey and The Crystal Disc, the second book in the series.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

Time to focus on my work has been my biggest challenge.

I end up writing, drawing, or painting in the quiet of the night—where there are no distractions.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

Rose Grey and Pirates, Nymphs, and A Smoking Monkey, a young adult fantasy novel, is my debut novel and my most recent accomplishment that I am most proud of.

What sets me apart from other artists? I’m not sure, but I do love the style of painting of the ’40s, which would make my work different, I suppose.

But after a lifetime of developing, not only my painting and drawing skills, but most importantly — my writing would also set me apart a bit. Most authors are not painters.

I never though I could put this story together. It was hard. But I was determined to finish it.

At first, my writing was too ‘ pretty’ too nice.. too boring and sweet. Icky nice.

I smarten’ up after I studied Lemony Snickets books. I loved his style of writing.

I wanted to make my readers laugh, like his stories made me.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?

I do see self-publishing on the rise.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jdmilligan.com
• Instagram: @j.d.milligan_books
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19fiq7Cqdc/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Other: https://a.co/d/iPFS0vL