CityView Magazine

of the camera." Dick works hard to select scenes and angles that he knows will make good draw- ings and will tell stories. Next, it's time to draw. To set the mood, he sits at his "ancient drawing board," which 73-year-old Dick says is "so old, it's even older than I am!", and he begins to draw. With Rush Limbaugh on the radio as accompaniment, Dick enriches the still, glossy photographs with character and feeling, transforming them into unique glimpses of captured emotion. Jimmy Keefe, who operates two custom trophy and specialty stores in the region, is constantly updating and changing stat- ues and prints to reflect the ever chang- ing military uniforms and weapons, and is pleased that Dick takes the same detailed pride is his own illustrations. "Dick isn't one who sits back and does what he likes," Jimmy said. "He's very de- tailed and cares about getting it right." Depending on the complexity of the piece, it usually takes from two to three weeks to complete a drawing and to date, Dick has produced hundreds of paintings and illustrations. About 70 of those are a part of the U.S. Air Force art program collection, a group that Dick has been a member of for 40 years. Dick said he and his wife, and business partner, Ginny, love the military folks. "It's an honor and privilege to draw them," he said. With so many accomplishments under "I always try to capture drama, strong light and shadows and absolute realism." 30 | September/October • 2011 his belt, Dick's credentials could stand alone as a bragging point for any person. He studied illustration at two separate schools, the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art in Newark, N.J. and the School of Visual Arts in New York City. However, these things aren't what bring him the most satisfaction in his profes- sional life. Instead, he said his greatest artistic compliments come every week in the form of e-mails from people all over the world who write to say how much they love his art. "Dick is a very giving guy, and he doesn't have to be," Jimmy said. "He's a great artist, a good business man and he has passion." Kramer works on corporate commis- sions and sells his art on his website, www. dickkramer.com. CV PHOTO BY AWAKENING PHOTOGRAPHY

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