William Low
As an artist and commercial illustrator, I am best known for my color and use of light. I use these elements to communicate emotions or concepts for a wide range of assignments: advertising campaigns, adult and children’s books, illustrations for postage stamps and artwork for public spaces.
I do not consider myself a conceptual illustrator and I do not use my artwork to express my personal or political point of view. That was my challenge in approaching the project 52 Ways to Love a Vet– I wanted to create an image that was powerful and iconic, with the potential for evoking a strong emotional response.
During a summertime family barbecue, I talked about this project with my wife’s cousin, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Scholetti who has served in Afghanistan from 2010 – 2011. I was to illustrate the Ace of Diamonds and Scioletti suggested that I create an image representing the fallen soldier memorial, with boots, rifle, helmet and dog tags. I loved this concept and the iconic power of this image, but I was concerned that the idea was not positive– how would this image be perceived? After all, my original intention was to create something positive and heroic, to honor the service and sacrifice of all veterans.
When I discussed my concerns with Ella Rue, we both agreed that this image would make a powerful card. To address my concerns for wanting to create something more positive, she allowed me to create art for a second card, so I was also assigned the Jack of Diamonds.