Lucas K. Barrett spent his early years in Surry, NH. His inspiration began at a local artist, Al Thrasher’s, studio, where he attended weekly classes with his mother. Although he showed early promise, he chose to attend a business college instead of an art institute. College was followed by a career in auditing and accounting that left him uninspired. Sketching portraits was his escape from the mundane. He filled sketchbooks of fanart and drew an occasional portrait to give to friends.
In 2015 Lucas found a drawing club in Bradford VT, where he resided at the time. Famed illustrator and author Burt Dodson hosted a handful of local artists for a weekly portrait drawing session. Each week a member of the close knit community was invited to sit for a one hour portrait study. Each week, Burt gave feedback and always said, “Luke, you draw with amazing likeness.”
The positive feedback inspired Lucas to practice on his own in his free time. He drew random strangers who submitted their photos to a Reddit.com message board. Gratitude and praise from the submitters was more satisfying than any praise he had found in his career. He dreamed of drawing portraits for a living.
When Covid-19 struck, Lucas decided it was time to take his shot and he began his online brand DarkHorseDrawing, an homage to his unconventional path to professional art. As an unknown artist, he promoted himself by broadcasting his practice on Reddit’s streaming service RPAN.
Lucas loves drawing people. He has a love for humanity, and the best art comes from drawing what he loves. His favorite part of every face is imagining the stories that shaped them.
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