David Cabot
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I was raised in the small, coastal town of Manchester, MA., and much of my childhood was spent searching around the yard or chasing butterflies with a net. Animals, insects, and exploration were early passions of mine. Also, my father often took me out lobstering, which quickly developed my fondness for maritime themes and my love of adventure. Each lobster trap was a mystery; one never knew what creatures might lurk inside. These childhood activities provided the foundation for my desire to illustrate fantasy and wildlife.
My art career did not really begin until mid-high school, where I learned to draw realistically. I attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH, and graduated as a English/Studio Art double major. I knew I preferred art, though always felt a bit estranged as a fine artist. I discovered that I had a definite wish to tell stories with my artwork, which is what illustration is all about. Illustration also merged nicely with my love of wildlife, as animals are natural storytellers. All of this led me to San Francisco, where I attained a graduate degree in illustration at the Academy of Art.
My first jobs were more fantasy/children’s book based, which worked well, as fantastic creatures share many narrative qualities with real animals. There are no better stories than fantasy (in my opinion), though I would always integrate animals whenever possible. Over time my focus naturally shifted toward pet portraits and straight wildlife, with the latter mostly coming in the form of postage stamps, commissioned from the Inter-Governmental Philatelic Corporation (IGPC). Fortunately, many countries take tremendous pride in their wildlife, so doing the artwork for their stamps was a very natural fit
My portfolio is ordered with the 1st row being straight wildlife, and in row 2 are some pet portraits. Rows 3-9 are mostly postage stamps. Anytime you see animals grouped unnaturally (4 different ones together, for example, or one in the center) you can be sure they were designed that way due to the demands of the stamp layout. In row 4 I included 2 examples of the stamp design, to give clarity on how the originals (above in row 3) translate to the final postage sheet. Rows 9-12 are samples of my fantsy/children’s books, ending with my depictions of Homer’s The Odyssey
Thanks for your interest,
David Cabot
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