By Nyla Smith

L’Observateur

GARYVILLE – Donny Terrio of Garyville is an example of how uncovering hidden potential can lead to success.

The LSU graphic design student discovered his talent for drawing in a required course during his sophomore year at the Baton Rouge school.

He said prior to this he would sketch for school projects and maybe do some doodling but nothing he considered serious artwork.

“When I was younger I would draw fictional baseball stadiums and logos for fictional teams,” said Terrio.

The art class required the artist to work with various unfamiliar mediums. Terrio said this experience initially made him uneasy.

“I had never picked up a piece of charcoal, and I was very unfamiliar with any drawing terminology,” said Terrio. “Most of my fellow classmates had taken an art course in high school whereas I had not.”

Terrio said he attended Riverside Academy in Reserve, and art classes were not offered at the private school.

Nevertheless, the situation in the class soon changed, and the determined student discovered his niche.

“I had plenty of ground to make up, but by the end of the semester I had caught up or even surpassed my classmates and realized that I had a knack for charcoal drawing,” said Terrio.

This newly found aspiration came in handy last summer when the budding artist was unsuccessful in finding a job in his field of graphic design.

He shared his dilemma with a friend while on an outing, and the rest is history.

“One night at a LSU baseball game one of my friends suggested I start taking advantage of my talent and make some art to sell,” said Terrio.

That season the student’s company, “DMT Designs,” was started and is still in existence today.

Terrio said the business is named after his mother, Donna Marie Terrio, who shares his initials. Initially, the company was his mother’s embroidery business, but once she decided to stop working, he took over and began selling his products through the company.

He also works with other mediums, such as crayon, chalk, pencil, photography, sculpture, animation, video and graphic design. He said he is always seeking new ways to display his talent.

His works are available in several formats, including print, 3-D design, framed art and stationary to name a few.

Terrio’s ambition for his newly found talent is to keep it as a hobby for extra income. In the meantime he plans to continue his search for a job in graphic design.

For more information or to make a purchase, “DMT Designs” can be reached at dterri2@ lsu.edu or 504-417-1697.