We caught up with the brilliant and insightful David Quady a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi David, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I was fortunate to have an art instructor throughout elementary and high school who consistently encouraged and supported my creativity. She was highly talented and educated and would often give us projects or assignments that were incredibly challenging and potentially highly rewarding and satisfying. I remember once, in probably 5th or 6th grade, she set up a still life in the classroom, full of pumpkins, gourds, metal cups, and fabrics, just an incredible array of shapes and textures, overwhelmingly complicated, and gave us the task of making a charcoal drawing over the following several classes. For anyone unfamiliar, this is a highly advanced and challenging project, the kind you would typically expect to find in a college-level drawing class rather than a grade school classroom. I remember feeling overwhelmed by the task, the “ah-ha” moments when, throughout the drawing, some advice or instruction clicked, the moments of frustration, and when it was finished, the most incredible thing: I had done something that surprised me. What I know now that I didn’t fully realize then was that one project had told me everything necessary to follow the path of creative discipline. Being optimally challenged is essential to your growth in skills and craft; pushing outside your comfort zone without being wholly overwhelmed requires a delicate balance that is best learned from great teachers.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a fine artist specializing in painting and drawing, working in a style deeply influenced by the classical tradition and the techniques of the Old Masters. My approach is rooted in a strong respect for craftsmanship, discipline, and the historical foundations of painting, which I continuously study to refine and reinterpret in my own work. Through this ongoing exploration, I aim to bridge the past with the present, creating work that feels both timeless and personal.

I regularly exhibit and sell my work in galleries, and I also collaborate with individuals on commissioned pieces ranging from portraiture to landscapes. I find great fulfillment in the process of working closely with clients, understanding their vision, and translating it into something meaningful and beautiful.

Have you ever had to pivot?

A few years ago I was working full-time in a field unrelated to the arts. All my free time was dedicated to developing my studio practice and the professional aspects of art-making like showing work publicly, maintaining a current website and building a social media presence, etc. My full time job was decent, for the most part I liked and got along with my co-workers and the hours mostly allowed me to pursue my creative work without a huge amount of distraction. On the other hand, I had a growing sense that my full potential as an artist would be impossible to achieve as a part-time occupation and would require my full dedication. After that realization and the knowledge that what I would regret most in life would be a failure to answer that calling I made the decision to quit my job and go back to school in order to pursue my MFA. Now as I am about to finish the program I can say that the reality the uncertainties of life as a creative professional pale in comparison to the certainty of unresolvable regret.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the magic and purpose of the inherent illusion in painting lies in capturing the dynamic, ever-changing experience of seeing. Painting for me is not only about achieving technical accuracy or replicating the surface something, it is about embodying the sensation of being fully present within a moment, a place, or an encounter. The greatest moments in the studio often come unexpectedly—those rare yet profound instances when you surprise yourself, uncovering something new about the way you think or create. These moments of enlightenment, though fleeting, have a lasting impact, offering clarity, excitement, and a deeper understanding of your artistic process. I think these discoveries—whether a fresh perspective, an unintentional breakthrough, or a realization about your own instincts—are the true reward of the hours of work, discipline, dedication and uncertainty.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.davidpquady.com
• Instagram: @davidpquady_art