Our own Wesley Page, FAIA brings this art to life, blending technical precision with artistic flair to create illustrations that are as evocative as they are informative. Recently honored in the prestigious Architecture in Perspective (AIP) competition by the American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI), Wesley's work transcends the conventional role of an illustrator. His drawings are a blend of process and product, combining technical acuity with artistic storytelling to evoke the unique essence of each environment he portrays.

Established in 1986, the AIP competition is a global showcase celebrating the world's finest in architectural illustration across various mediums. Wesley's achievement not only highlights his exceptional talent but also reminds us of the enduring relevance of hand drawing in contemporary architecture. His illustrations have been instrumental in shaping master plans and influencing architectural development on many of our projects, becoming an integral part of our firm's story. 

In the following Q&A, we get to know the man behind the sketch—from his early memories at Hanbury to his inspirations, mentors, and passions—and celebrate his remarkable contributions to keeping the art of hand drawing vibrantly alive in the digital age.

What is your earliest memory at Hanbury?

My first memory of Hanbury is being fresh out of school and having already decided this was where I really wanted to work and the excitement of getting that first interview. It went really well. The perfect fit it seemed. And they got back to me the very next morning. I didn’t get the job! As it turns out the firm had just been forced to downsize. Slowing economy, a canceled contract , whatever the reason they had decided to put a freeze on hiring. Ugh. Back to square one. I took an offer at another local firm (that’s no longer around). Nine months pass. The phone rings again. The situation had changed and the position was available if I wanted it. Needless to say I jumped at the opportunity. The silver lining? The nine months working at the other firm gave me a crystal clear perspective, by contrast, of the kind of firm culture and ethos that I wanted to be a part of. Hanbury offered that. The detour was the best thing that could have happened. That was thirty-nine years ago and I’ve never looked back.

A standout project (or illustration)

Probably our body of work at Rhodes College. The level of care, skill, craftsmanship and dedication exhibited over the course of many years and projects is, to me, an enduring testament to a deep belief that place and design matter. And we still have more work to do.

A mentor

There were several but I would say the most profound was Mike Evans. Mike’s servant leadership style always put an emphasis on supporting the growth of people around him and serving the needs of others in the firm first. Mike empowered countless people, including me, to excel in their own right and find their specific niche in the firm. He also helped us understand the necessity of passing on the same empowerment, knowledge and values to the next generation and the generation after that.

A recent source of inspiration

Actually Orange Juice and our viz team continue to surprise me. Its inspiring the way that the group has organized and evolved so quickly and effectively as a collective think tank. That kind of group curiosity and communication is a powerful thing to harness. “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” Can’t wait to see where it goes!

What excites you the most about our industry?

I think more than ever the industry is recognizing and acting institutionally on architecture’s ability – and responsibility – to create positive social and environmental outcomes through how we design and build. That attitude has evolved from an aspiration to an expectation in our industry.

A favorite artist

I’ll include illustrators as artists. Otto Eggers. Eggers was an architect and delineator most noted for the work he produced when working with John Russell Pope, first as a draftsman and renderer, and eventually as a partner. His graphite drawings for Pope’s Yale University and Dartmouth Campus Master Plans from around 1925 contain more lessons about depth, tonal range and composition than I knew existed. Whenever I’m starting a new rendering, particularly for a campus master plan, I always have a few Eggers drawings nearby.

As far as fine art goes Mark Rothko is an all-time favorite and recently in a similar vein David Sharpe. Both take a strong graphic design approach and Sharpe adds a painterly feel and technique more associated with fine art. That merge as well as their manipulation of color is amazing stuff.

A building you'd like to visit (and sketch) that you haven't yet.

Its really more about places than individual buildings to me. Cinque Terra in Italy. Some of the Italian hill towns for sure. Croatia.

If not architecture, what alternative career path would you have pursued?

I found out about architecture early in high school. I was immediately hooked so I never really thought about anything else as a career path. Those generalized aptitude tests we all took in high school ranked me pretty high in spatial and three-dimensional perception and led to a mechanical drawing class and my eventual exposure to architecture. If not for those tests I have no idea where I would have landed.

Early bird or night owl?

Early bird for sure!

One thing you can't live without

Really good studio lighting. And gelato. Well, I guess that’s two things.

Do you have any special hobbies, talents or interests?

Oil painting, travel sketching, any kind of drawing and making. In that respect the line between my career and my personal pastimes often seems a little blurry. I’ve also been scuba diving since 1985 but not so much in the past few years. I absolutely need to get back into that! It’s a total departure from my ‘architect life’ and its total therapy!

What's your favorite illustration that you've created?

Ugh. How do I answer that? I’m not sure I’ve done my ‘favorite’ one yet. The holy grail for me when I start a drawing is clarity. No drama, no distractions, no camouflage, just utter clarity of subject and story. I guess the closer I can get to achieving that in a drawing the closer I am to being able to name a favorite. Maybe the right answer then is ‘the next one’. I hope so.

Explore more of Wesley's illustrations here.