What happens when you pick up a pencil and run it across a piece of paper? For most of us, the result is simply a “doodle”. For a talented few, the merging of pencil and paper results in nothing short of a work of art.  Rick Law is one of the geniuses that can make pencil and paper spring to life with all sorts of colorful characters and stunning logos. Although a very talented artist, there is much more to Rick Law than meets the eye.

Rick’s childhood was quite turbulent. At the age of seven, his parents divorced. After his parents split up, Rick’s mother remarried a man who was a member of the United States military. However, things didn’t get better for Rick.

Instead, they got worse.  Following the remarriage of his mother, Rick's household became one of abuse.  His step-father, Rick admits, was not what one would call a "good man". After an extra-marital affair by his stepfather, Rick and his mother returned from the military base overseas where they lived and settled in Salinas, California. Today, Rick calls the Los Angeles area home, where he has lived for over ten years.

As he looks back, Rick realizes that life was tough for a while, but not as bad as it could be. 

“Even then though it wasn't a particularly smooth road as we lived hand to mouth for some time, and our family coped with the aftermath of those broken years, I remain grateful because I know that there are many, many others who have had to face and are now facing far greater challenges than I ever will.”

It was during the lean years in Salinas that Rick found his love of drawing. He quickly forged a bond with his next-door neighbor, Gary Shipman. Together, the two would stay up all night drawing, copying characters from comic books and perfecting their craft. Drawing became a perfect escape from the turmoil that surrounded Rick’s life.

“Drawing was just something that I did, and at that time almost compulsively”, Rick stated. “So I think, in retrospect, that it was an activity that I was allowed because I enjoyed it, as opposed to being something else that might of been harmful to me, or met with disapproval. So, for me, drawing, at least initially, was a form of escapism from the things that were going on around me.”

Rick got his big break when he was only a teenager. Oddly enough, it was a school art project that got him noticed by one of his favorite musicians, Steve Taylor. This chance encounter would help to change Rick’s art from a hobby to a profession.

“I had been a fan of the musician Steve Taylor and I was given a high school art assignment to paint a t-shirt,” Rick explained. “I chose to do mine featuring the covers of Steve’s albums. Soon thereafter, I attended a performance of his and wore the completed shirt. Well, someone brought it to his attention, we ended up exchanging shirts, and out of that encounter we became friends.”

“He encouraged me in my art and through his introductions other opportunities eventually arose for me from that one project. That’s not to say it’s been easy road. It can be extremely difficult and challenging to try and make a living this way. I have been blessed to find and have as many opportunities as I have, and I really am thankful for them one and all.”

Although doors began to open for Rick, they opened slowly. He began to take jobs that would help him to broaden his horizons and worked incessantly to make ends meet; sometimes working as many as three jobs at the same time. However he never gave up on his dream. Eventually, the doors of Hollywood opened up and he found himself in demand, much to his amazement.

“It is definitely a strange experience, to come from my background and then to suddenly be meeting people you’ve only heard about, or seen your entire life through the media”, Rick stated. “You soon learn however, that just because a person is recognizable doesn’t mean much. They are still just people.”

Now, Rick is a very successful artist who has worked on a multitude of Walt Disney projects over the last ten years as well as a whole host of other projects for groups such as MTV, Paramount Pictures, and Arista Records. Although most people would characterize Rick as a success because of the work he has produced and the money that he has made,  Rick admits that being successful is really defined by the act of doing the best that you can with what you been given.

“While I have been blessed to work with the clients I have, all the money and fame in the world cannot buy you happiness or contentment”, Rick explained. “I believe the idea of success is to only do the best you can do in any situation.”

Amidst all his success, Rick’s faith still remains a cornerstone in his life. It is something that permeates everything that he is and does.

“My faith is integral to my life and as such, I would hope it would infuse everything I do,” Rick strongly states. “From age 12, I grew up 'in the Church', however I think it was only when I really got outside of the Church that I finally "grew up". For me, it took moving out on my own at 18 and starting to get my faith tested and challenged in real world ways, that I started figuring out what I truly believe. It is one thing to hear The Word, but another thing entirely to live it.”

“Now, just because I believe in Christ doesn’t mean I’m now somehow infallible, or more righteous than you or anyone else," Rick states on his official web site, ricklaw.net. "On the contrary, my life is still filled with trials and turmoil, and I do, on occasion, stumble. I know from experience how cruel and unloving the world and people in it can seem, but there is someone who does love you no matter what your faults, or what you’ve done. Unconditionally. That someone is Jesus and you only need to call out to Him. I hope you will.”

What’s the greatest lesson that life has taught Rick? Trust in the promises that God has made.

“No matter what you are going through or the hurts you may be facing now, whatever your goals or dreams are for the future, remember that God offers you this promise: ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ (Jeremiah 29:11). Hold tight to that and keep looking forward.”

Rick Law is an incredibly talented artist who has worked with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. Despite all his success, Rick remains grounded in his faith and the realization that true success lies in doing your best, standing strong and trusting in God.   

To learn more about Rick and see more of his incredible art, check out his website at

www.ricklaw.net

** All photos in this article are by Joe Wright-Reprinted with permission from ricklaw.net

** All Artwork is by Rick Law-Reprinted with permission from ricklaw.net