Elijah Bean has created about 4,000 pieces of art, most of which have never been publicly shown.

It took a poet to convince him to share the skills he began developing as a young child.

Elijah’s artistry has illustrated the pages of three books by Rhys Campbell: From The Pink Sands, Animate and finding home.

“Honestly, it’s magical every time. Elijah isn’t just an illustrator; he’s a whole universe of vision, intuition, and heart,” wrote Rhys on social media. “While his day-to-day is rooted in horticulture [growing vibrant, non-GMO produce using creative methods that feel incredibly unique], his art is pure stardust — fluid, alive, and utterly intuitive.”

Elijah took up drawing as a hobby sometime around the age of 5, likely inspired by the artists in his family. Initially, his drawings were realistic but he shifted to a “more cartoonish” style.

In his teens, he found himself on “a spiritual path” that he didn’t quite understand.

“My art started to feel almost like it wasn't me [creating it]. I would get these impressions; it would feel almost like when you're playing the piano. You feel music on your fingers. You just want to play,” he said.

“And so when I would draw, I would get these amazing scenes – incredible geometry, sometimes symbols and letters. It was very otherworldly. Ever since then, I would get the itch and I would just start drawing.”

The 28-year-old has never had any formal training; he thinks he probably picked up a few tips after seeing the realistic paintings of his grandmother Ismay Saltus and his father Darian Bean’s charcoal sketches.

“They didn't do it as their main hobby or anything. They would just show me what they did from when they were younger,” he explained.

Until he met Rhys about three years ago, he had not really considered sharing his work beyond his circle of friends and family.

The pair were collaborating on a book of poetry. Rhys suggested Elijah’s art would be a good fit. The illustrations were his first “big” job.

“The funny part is, I was telling him I wasn’t sure it was going to come out right. How I didn’t know what he wanted me to do. He told me ‘Just do it. Just do what you want.’”

Elijah wasn’t really sure about the project however, until he “felt some of the art come through”.

“I drew it all out, and I sent him the pictures and that's how they got to be in finding home,” he said.

Rhys was thrilled with the contribution to his book.

“Finding home includes photographed drawings; captured raw from the page, a choice due to budget and necessity, but it ended up feeling just right. Natural. Like everything Elijah does,” he posted.

With tons of positive response to his art and the 4,000-odd works he has stashed in a drawer in his home, Elijah admits that he would like to exhibit his work in a gallery “one day”.

“My full-time job is animal care. I care for people's animals, house sitting, and also I have a business growing citrus and fruit trees,” he said.

“There's pruning involved, there's maintenance, and then with the animals, there's a very caring personality [required] that I find translates, because I'm very calm with the art as well. I do find it very meditative. But it is more of a hobby, I would say.”

He saves everything he creates because he remembers advice he received when he was little: keep every piece of art whether you like it or not because one day you will look back and learn from them.

“Nothing has really kept me from exhibiting. It's just [my work] didn't feel impressive to me. Now, I realise that many people that have seen it are going crazy about it, but I just thought it was just something to do,” said Elijah who has posted “a little bit” of his art on Instagram.

“There are some pieces there that will get the interest going, and some of my poetry is on there as well.”

He published his first book, Eden’naut: A Mirage of Poetry, about two years ago.

He followed that up with a collaboration with Rhys. Since then he has been gathering his thoughts.

“I have a lot of poetry in my notepad. It's just a matter of [finding] the need or the desire to put it all together,” Elijah said.

“I would love to illustrate it myself, but also collaborate with others who have a similar flow with art.”

• Follow Elijah Bean’s art on Instagram: @qbitai. Eden’naut: A Mirage of Poetry is available onAmazon.com