The tapping of the plastic electronic pen vibrates the tablet as a young Robert Fenwick May Jr. adds yet another small detail to his next visual art piece. Little does he know what other artistic feats he is capable of.
Twisted Gnarled Black Pine by Robert Fenwick May Jr.
May’s drawing started from a very young age “My father was there, he praised me, he was like wow that’s fantastic you really nailed it! I still have the folder from fourth grade!” May also mentioned how his father continued to help him with art as he went through life.
May’s more well-known works are his heavily detailed trees which he displays in his classroom, on fineartamerica.com, and his website robertfenwickmayjr.com. “I was drawing a tree and I really wanted it to be very big and complex, and then I realized that I had to draw every single leaf, there was no way of getting around it. So I did, I drew every single leaf and then I drew the veins and I shaded it and it took me three months to get through the piece, but the reaction from people was very positive.” The reactions were so positive that May decided to do a series of drawings one taking him two years to complete with others taking months.
The more recent pieces May has been working on shows two characters named Bob and Sue loosely based on his parents. “My father and I are both certified divers … back in the sixties he was a part of a club called The Otters Club and he told me some of his adventures … he has this crazy story of how he saved my mother’s life one time back then and I just thought that I would do a series of divers” These adventures sparked the vision of these newer drawing portraying Bob and Sue as divers.
The Buddy System by Robert Fenwick May Jr.
Along with being a good visual artist, May is also a self-taught bassist. This journey into music began five years ago when Ms. Knotts found out that he used to hang out with some bands when he was a teenager. May eventually listened to Ms. Knotts’s encouragement and went to buy a $100 bass. Through the use of tabs and the PS4 game Rocksmith, May began to play in several different bands. He brings this talent to the Jemicy school to teach kids the art of music. May does this by sharing his interest in musicians and by playing songs with students in the Jemicy music room.
Robert Fenwick May Jr. playing bass
May also successfully published his first book, Prison Planet: The Witness, which is purchasable on Amazon. Prison Planet is “A science fiction fantasy book about the Earth being the Australia of the galaxy.” The reader follows the main character who is an “Immortal” (an ancient alien species that watches other planets evolve) and falls in love with someone on one of the planets. As punishment, he is sent to watch Earth for 1 million years only to get shot down by the Earthlings, and trapped on the prison planet.
May’s love for sci-fi started at a young age. Sci-fi books and movies like Star Trek, Star Wars, and Dune made a big impression on him. “I grew up watching Star Trek on television, cause back in the day we only had three channels, and then Star Wars came out, I was ten! There was nothing like that … Luke Skywalker lights up a lightsaber and you are like, what is that! Then I saw the spaceships and I thought for sure they were real, there was no way they could have faked that … I was so disappointed when I realized it wasn’t real.”
Prison Planet by Robert Fenwick May Jr.
Science also impacted May’s interest in sci-fi “I love science, and love thinking about future technologies and the possible good parts of it and also the bad parts of it.”
May is already working on his next book Thaw, which takes place in the not-so-distant future where a two-mile sheet of ice melts and unveils a hidden ancient civilization. Our main character is a linguist who is fresh out of school and hired to uncover the secrets of this civilization.
Robert May has not only explored more into his creative outlets but has also brought them into the Jemicy community. This enthusiasm for art makes students want to not only learn more but also explore art as a whole without assistance. Overall, May has evolved his creative aspects to many different fields and continues to grow and learn new techniques and approaches as well as making future generations excited about art.
MOOSE PRINTS 