"I didn't choose this. It was in my soul. Making art feels intuitive--it's always been my way of responding to the world around me." 

- Dominic Avant

Reflection

"If I could draw anywhere, I did," says the award-winning artist Dominic Avant, recalling a crayon mural he drew on the wall of his childhood home. That early impulse eventually transformed from classroom doodling into a career defined by persistence and serendipity.

After an initial art school rejection, Avant refined his skills, earned an illustration degree and navigated the lean years of freelance work. His path shifted when a former professor spotted him on the street and told him Disney was hiring. Avant's resulting tenure at Disney's animation studio launched a momentum that continues today.

Now a professor at Ringling College of Art and Design, Avant balances teaching with a prolific fine art career. His work--ranging from an album cover for a Grammy-winning artist to Disney resort commissions--blends realism and impressionism. Whether he's capturing Florida's natural beauty or the quiet intensity of a portrait, Avant is a seeker. "I'm just going after life, chasing it as it presents itself," he says. - Kendall Southworth