Phoenix-based multi-disciplinary artist Daniel Ragsdale Combs has earned four decades of awards for his work, and now he’s a new member of the Colored Pencil Society of America.
JILL RYAN : Joining the society has been a long time goal for Combs.
DANIEL RAGSDALE COMBS: I've been drawing before I was one. Colored pencil was my first go-to when I was a child.
My ma would bring me around — anywhere we went she'd always have art supplies with her, and she'd always tell me, "Shut up and draw." And, that's what calmed me down as a child.
And I won my first national competition when I was 9. I've been winning national and international awards since.
JILL RYAN : Looking around his workspace, you’ll find drawings in a variety of styles featuring a wide range of subjects — from realist to the abstract.
DANIEL RAGSDALE COMBS: This is called "Ripped Away,"100% colored pencil. It's — it deals with the internal psychological response to stimuli.
JILL RYAN: Combs says he suffered a head injury in the U.S. Navy, which is the inspiration for this work.
There's a face that's exploding into a skull, and the eye is being ripped out of the image, coming forward.
DANIEL RAGSDALE COMBS: I get inspired by everything around me and in my dreams.
JILL RYAN: The theme for Combs’ next show with the Colored Pencil Society of America is conservation. It opens in 2027.
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