Kyle Mosher, a Boston-based collage and cut paper artist, has spoken with reporters from The Telegraph on numerous occasions, but never about his art.

The former Nashua High School hockey player once chatted regularly with the paper’s sports staff, never imagining that injuries would soon cause him to pursue a different path.

“There was really nothing outside my perspective besides playing hockey,” Mosher said.

He played the sport from his freshman year in high school until partway through his sophomore year at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, a school he selected because he could continue to play hockey there.

The sport took its toll on Mosher’s body, however, and he was sidelined in December of his sophomore year after his second shoulder injury.

Now, having blown out both shoulders, “I really started to take a look at my life,” Mosher said.

He recalled that, as a child, he had shown a talent for art, to the extent that his parents hadn’t believed the drawings he brought home from school were actually his.

Not playing hockey gave Mosher plenty of time to research the arts and how best to pursue a more creative course of study.

Instead of switching to Southern New Hampshire University’s computer-focused graphic design program, he decided to apply to the New Hampshire Institute of Art.

“I wanted to learn the meat and potatoes of art and design, which the fine art school offered more focus on,” Mosher said. “The computer is only as good as the person behind it. I wanted to make sure I could do everything by hand and be able to conceptualize before I even touched the computer.”

Before he started thinking about an artistic career, Mosher admitted, he had no idea that the New Hampshire Institute of Art existed, even though it was right down the street from his current school.

He also wasn’t quite sure how to go about applying to a fine art school.

“I literally walked in and asked, ‘What do I need to do to get into your school?’?” Mosher said.

They guided him through the application process, which included a portfolio of 12-15 pieces that expressed who he was as an artist.

“I had no idea what that was,” Mosher said of the portfolio.

He signed up for a summer drawing class in order to generate portfolio material, assembling a collection of still lifes, anatomy studies and nature drawings.

Apart from the mandatory art class in elementary school, “I’d never taken any art classes or fine art classes in my life,” Mosher said. “That was the extent of my art experience growing up.”

His lack of formal training made his acceptance to the New Hampshire Institute of Art – less than a year after his second shoulder injury – an even bigger accomplishment.

“I don’t know if they just felt bad for me or what,” Mosher said with a laugh. “I got in, so I did something right.”

To look at Mosher’s career since he graduated three years ago, it’s clear that his acceptance was no fluke.

Working with fine art and graphic design, he recently created posters for a concert series in Boston sponsored by Vitamin Water. He also has a six-month contract with iRobot in Bedford, Mass., designing packaging and print materials.

His most noteworthy accomplishment of late, however, is having his design selected for the official tour poster for hip-hop artist Yelawolf.

Mosher found the contest through creativeallies.com, a website that connects musicians and artists. The deadline for submissions was only two weeks away.

“This is another one of those serendipitous things,” he said, “because I’m a die-hard Yelawolf fan.”

Mosher’s design made it from one round to the next and ultimately was chosen as one of five finalists. Yelawolf posted the finalists’ designs on his Facebook page for fans to vote on.

After hearing nothing for weeks, Mosher received an email on his phone while doing some printing at the Institute of Art. To his amazement, he had won the contest.

“It was very cool,” he said.

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, however. Like any creative professional, Mosher has had his share of difficulties.

“When I graduated, I had this idea that I was going to take over the world,” he said. “The world is a very humbling place to be. It brings you back down to earth. I did a lot of awful jobs.”

Mosher has found more success with his fine art style than with his graphic design, and has seen the former pick up significantly in the last year.

Even though the road has been challenging at times, art remains his passion.

“I’d rather be the typical starving artist and enjoy doing that than doing something I don’t like,” he said.

Right now, Mosher is making arrangements to exhibit his fine art at a gallery in Los Angeles, as well as participating in a show at Launch Art in Peterborough toward the end of the summer.

“I’m trying to stay rooted in this area,” he said, “because this area is definitely where it all began.”

Teresa Santoski can be reached at 594-6466 or tsantoski@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow Santoski on Twitter (@Telegraph_TS).