HENRIETTA WILDSMITH | Hattiesburg American Whigham also paints murals on eggs carved from wood.

Pamela Draskovic designs rooms of her home around the work of Scottie Whigham.

That wouldn't be any surprise if the name was home-making mogul Martha Stewart or artist Andy Warhol.

But Whigham? Not quite... at least, yet.

"One day he's going to be famous," said Draskovic, 43, who's been ordering Whigham's pieces for five years. "Each time I'll pick a room and I'll start getting him to create it. I still have some wall space, so...

"He's the only one I get my artwork from, now. I just love his work."

The Hattiesburg High graduate is making a name for himself, both locally and nationally, as Whigham moves closer toward a full-time career selling his drawings and paintings. He specializes in wildlife and outdoor scenes.

The 32-year old has designed jackets and T-shirts for FLW Outdoors and NASCAR, including Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon, while working for TFG Marketing in Hendersonville, Tenn.

But his first love has always been his own artwork.

"I've always liked painting and drawing since I was a little kid," Whigham said. "When I was in high school I was trying to think of what I actually wanted to do... going into the Army, U.S. Coast Guard, I just didn't know what it was I wanted to do.

"I would love to just do the artwork myself. I'm working toward that goal. I'm not going to stop till I reach my goal."

Draskovic doesn't think it'll take long.

She and her husband Ken, 43, are retired military in Scottsboro, Ala. Looking to decorate the home, Pamela stumbled across www.scottiewhigham.com and has been a fan since.

She's bought nine pictures from fish, to deer, to a peacock and has more orders on the way.

"I'm particular about what I buy," she said. "I want something no one else has. You can see all the detail that he actually puts in all of his drawings. I've never seen so much detail.

"I have all of them autographed. One day they're going to be worth a lot of money because he's just waiting for his day. And I'm just waiting for his day, for somebody to find him."

That's why Whigham does everything in his power to showcase his works at every downtown event. He's currently awaiting word on a contest for The Artist's Magazine. If selected, he would be featured in the June issue.

"It's a matter of people getting to know you and know your face and getting to know your art and style of painting," Whigham said.

Whereas Whigham inspired Draskovic's decoration habits, Millie Swan hopes his pieces inspire women to think about their health.

The director of physicians and public relations for Forrest General Hospital purchased a painting depicting the ruby red slippers from the Wizard of Oz. Forrest General sponsored the "Day of Dance" at the Thad Cochran Center on Southern Miss' campus to promote heart disease awareness last month.

The event featured 200-300 local dancers.

"Once I saw that painting, I knew it'd be perfect," she said. "Very uniquely, those shoes were shadowing the characters. It really got my attention how clever and it was just a wonderful painting.

"It goes along with some of the things that we're promoting in health care like the red shoes that go along with heart disease. It was just different from anything I've ever seen. Thought it'd be a really neat thing for us to have for years to come."

Whigham added, "I can do anything. But I like to focus on wildlife because that's just my passion."

The pieces range from the $45 to $600. Whigham takes custom orders and has his own creations available.

He has recently started painting murals on eggs carved from wood.

Whigham continues to plug away, working out of his home, and waiting for that big break.

In the meantime, Draskovic will certainly keep him busy.

"If you look at his pictures, you can see all the feathers, all the scales, it's just so amazing," she said. "Everybody when they come in the house, they always comment on my art pieces and I can always brag - just for me."

Originally published Friday, March 2, 2007