We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful J.D. Milligan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with J.D. below.

J.D., thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I was young when I was watching my artsy grandmother paint black trays with gold leaf paint. I was very curious about her painting projects. One day she told me to repaint this heavy doorstop of a Dutch woman. I was just reapplying the same colors. Then Nanny, that’s what I called her, gave me a sip of her creamy and oh so sugary hot coffee. I thought Id died and gone to heaven. I knew then — I wanted to be an artist when I grew up, just drink coffee and paint.

No really. I was young when I caught the fever to be an artist.

My parents and grandparents loved art and antiques. I was surrounded by colorful oil and watercolor paintings by local artist of the Brandywine school and local Wilmington Delaware area in my house growing up. Howard Pyle, NC Wyeth, and Frank Schoonover paintings were artist that illustrated stories and magazine covers in the early 1900-1930s

I wanted to learn the style of these Brandywine School painters.

Although I pursued a graphic design degree, I studied painting in the evening program at Corcoran School of Art in Washington D.C.

I was 17 when I first officially exhibited in a art exhibit.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve been a professional artist for multiple years, exhibiting in galleries on the east coast mostly— drawing, oil painting, mixed media, and now— writing.

I first started exhibiting my drawing and paintings at 17, and have been exhibiting for most my life in galleries on the east coast. I focused on oil on canvas works of horses, horse drawn carraiges, and steeplechase racing. This subject is popular in my area.

As an artist, painting small paintings is just as time consuming as mid-sized art. Time is valuable and so I had to rethink my professional art strategy.
In 2000, I decided I needed a smaller item to sell. The print industry of print-on-demand was an option, but my gut was telling me to try the book industry. I decided to start writing myself. It has been challenging, but worth it. Most writers that I’ve met told me it takes years to write your first book. I believe them.

When I told people, friends, or acquaintances what I was doing, it seemed to be everyone’s dream to do this. Thankfully, with my art and graphic design skills, I had the confidence to try. What I wasn’t expecting was, how hard it would be to write a funny, adventure story with suspense! Challenging! But twenty years later, I finally finished.

I didn’t want to do it all.
But sometimes you have to just —make it happen!

During the development of this project, I studied the middle grade and young adult book markets and noticed that most illustrations are derived by computer programs. Although I am computer savey with a graphic design degree, I like working with my hands best. Drawing on paper and/or painting on paper or canvas adds a quality to your creative mark-making that computers don’t have. Human touch allows for unplanned marks and looseness in the quality of the subject and composition.

In 2024, I finally finished this book project. I will launch it this December 2024.

Rose Grey, my debut novel, will open up my art world to a broader market. I use to be just original art at galleries for sale. But now, I’m literary platforms on Amazon and Ingramsparks. I’m excited.

I’ll be marketing the book, original drawings of illustrations, paintings of the illustrations, prints of the illustrations, and books.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I suppose this latest project, my book, has been a goal for a long time. I kept working at the story until I loved it. I need to love it before I could let it go. If I didn’t love it. Then I kept working on it. The same with my illustrations. I rework them til I get this feeling that its done. I’ve learned that things don’t happen the way I think its going to happen… I just stay positive and hold onto the desire.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I suppose being in the spotlight for an exhibit is the most exciting part… sharing my vision.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jdmilligan.com