Andre Woolery

Andre Woolery may be known by his peers as a visual artist but if it weren't for a month-long sabbatical he took two years ago from his advertising job he may never have discovered his hidden talent and penchant for oil paintings. During what Woolery describes as a "recess" from his day job, he tried his hand at painting a portrait of Bob Marley and became addicted to the process, which he ended up documenting on his blog.

Soon after, he launched  AndreWooleryArt.com , an online gallery that showcases his work and is also a platform he uses to introduce artwork into people's lives. "Art is unfortunately perceived as inaccessible and merely a pastime of the wealthy, so I've set up my business to have a range of options including prints, canvas prints, and originals so that I touch on multiple price points."

Claim to fame: "The Tackover, a portrait of Jay-Z that I made entirely out of thumbtacks...7,633 to be exact. Once I released that piece, it went viral, and was immediately spread across major websites, social media networks and the blogosphere. It was a validating experience."

On the horizon: "I am currently working on an art mixtape. Underground musicians create mixtapes to introduce themselves to the world, create organic buzz and eventually break into the mainstream. I plan on taking that same approach with my art. It will be a web-first experience that presents all five new pieces to the world with my own personal narration of how each piece came to be."

REFLECTIONS: Hometown: Morristown, N.J. *First Job: Asst. Planner at Ogilvy & Mather. * Advice he would have given to himself 10 years ago: Read more. There is so much knowledge and inspiration in written form that I ignored. I'm picking up books now that I should have read in college and am realizing that my professors were giving me gems that I couldn’t see at that time. * What keeps him up at night: Ideas. * Words to live by: Your mind is the only weapon.

DIVERSIONS: Currently reading: The Filter Bubble by Eli Pariser. * Last fun purchase: When I was in Milan, I bought a Diana Mini camera from the Lomography store. It automatically alters the filters and textures so that the pictures look like a vintage film. Almost like shooting on the Instagram iPhone app, but using a physical non-digital camera.

PLAYING FAVORITES: Artist: Patrick Hughes. There are a lot of artists that I love, but he's the first person to use the reverse perception style, and that blew my mind. *Guilty pleasure: Dunkin Donut Munchkins. * Getaway: Jamaica. My family is Jamaican so that is always the place that makes the world stop for me. Once I touch down at the MoBay airport, everything feels like home. * Entree: Jerk Chicken from Scotchies in Jamaica. * Cocktail: Balvenie 17-year-old Scotch.