HEIDELBERG, Germany - At first glance Andrew Washington appears to be a quiet and reserved type of man.
At times he stands as an unassuming figure amid the hustle and bustle of the U.S. Army Garrison Baden-WAfA1/4rttemberg staff.
Washington works as a logistician for the Directorate of Logistics, but what most people do not know about him is that he's also an extraordinarily gifted artist.
His passion for the pallet goes all the way back to the early days of his childhood, when he first began painting at the age of 5.
Both of Washington's parents also painted, but surprisingly he says he has never had any formal art training. Everything he creates is self-taught.
"I paint because it's relaxing; it's an outlet," Washington said. "I just see things differently.
I enjoy capturing the beauty in things ... I want people to walk away with a 'feel good' feeling and know they can bring out what's within them just as I did."
Washington prefers to use oil-based paints and canvas when he's capturing that beauty, but he says because oil based paints can take so long to dry, he often works on several paintings at once - sometimes six or seven at a time.
He also enjoys sketching with pencil and creating other works using the pointillism technique.
Pointillism is where an artist combines tiny distinct dots of color to form an image.
One of his pointillism pieces, a World War II battle scene in Italy featuring African-American Soldiers, took 13 months to complete.
The timetable for some of Washington's other creations ranges from 30 days to over a year, depending on the amount of detail he wants to add.
Washington's latest work, which is still untitled, features a black and white stone statue of a woman set against a midnight black background.
The Washington, D.C., native admits he stayed up until the wee hours of the morning just working on the small bundle of intricate flowers nestled beneath her arm.
His attention to detail is evident in all of Washington's works, particularly in his military-themed pieces where pencil-drawn Buffalo Soldiers stare back with an intense life-like realness.
"I enjoy painting combat scenes because it tells the story and it's live," Washington said. "It's action, and I also try to capture stories that were never told, that were forgotten. Specifically those of African-Americans."
Washington is an avid collector of Civil War memorabilia, and he also has a few items from his days in uniform, including artifacts from the Gulf and Iraq wars, such as Iraqi uniforms, knifes and pieces of Saddam Hussein's palace.
Washington spent 24 1/2 years in the Army as a unit supply specialist and drill sergeant before he retired as a master sergeant in 2004.
He remained in the Heidelberg community, where he works as a full-time logistician, and paints in his spare time.
"I'm a die-hard logistician. I love logistics," Washington said. "The best part is logisticians can do the impossible. It's like a chess game. Can you get this in a short amount of time to support Soldiers in the field' Can you get what the Soldier needs on the battlefield' There's nothing too complicated that a logistician should not or cannot be able to do."
"It's a sense of accomplishment and at the end of the day, you know you've done something great and you're contributing to history, which is why I paint history," Washington said.
John Alva, director of logistics for USAG Baden-WAfA1/4rttemberg, worked with Washington previously and said he is an incredibly talented artist.
"I've always enjoyed listening to him talk about the inspiration for his works of art and I could feel the love and energy that he put into every piece," Alva said. "Providing logistics support to the military communities can sometimes be very stressful, and I believe that Andrew focused that energy into his art to create a healthy balance in his life."
Currently Washington's works are not available for sale, but he says eventually he would like to start his own private business offering his pieces to the public.
In the past, he's created artwork for commission when time allowed, but these days he's solely focusing on building up his portfolio.
However, a few of his works are housed in private collections and galleries in England, the United States and Stuttgart.
Washington credits fellow artists Salvador Dali, Don Stivers and Frank Frazetta as his inspirations and offers some simple advice to young and up-and-coming artists.
"Don't stop," he said. "The worst thing you can do is to stop because then you'll have regrets. Everybody has got to understand that there is no such thing as this art piece or this artist is better than this artist, because artwork is artwork, and there are people out there that don't like my work."
"With each painting or drawing, it's practice," he said. "It's like math, with each painting you get better and better."
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