Photos courtesy of Delaney Dammeyer

I’ve always been a hobbyist when it came to art, but I like pushing myself with it. I’ve been drawing obsessively since I was about five. It never really feels like something I want to do, but something I’m compelled to do. That’s not super romantic, but it’s how I feel: I have to get what I feel out somehow. 

This first piece was drawn from my experience studying abroad in Iceland. It snowed until late March when I was there, and I would go on huge walks around the volcano near campus. I saw some of the village kids stomping out a soccer field in their backyard at sunset. I appreciated their ingenuity and drew it out! 

The second is an abstract-ish piece based on my favorite short story “The Distance of the Moon” by Italo Calvino. In the distant past of his universe, Earth was closer to the moon, and once a month people would take their boats out and prop a big ladder up to collect moon milk. There’s a man who is in love with a woman, but she only loves the moon. One year, the moon finally moves too far away with her on it, and the man must come to terms with the fact that she was never his to begin with. And of course, I had to include a nod to the excellent Nick Drake song “Pink Moon.” 

The third is the piece I am the most proud of. It’s a portrait of Elton John that I drew after watching “Rocketman.” Elton John has been my favorite singer since I was a toddler. The songs mean so much to me because you can really feel the emotions, and you can tell he feels them on stage. I tried to capture one of those moments with this. In addition, I was experimenting with alcohol markers and was just glad it paid off.