1998  BFA ILLUSTRATION

2004  MFA ILLUSTRATION

Academy of Art University   

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

co-creator / illustrator

ALPHABET KINGDOM

i developed my ballpoint pen illustration technique while riding on BART to my MFA classes ... well at least it’s origins..  it’s easier to sketch with a pen than a pencil because you have two less tools ... a sharpener and eraser.    but eventually my technique does involve an eraser or two.  i create a surface texture that allows me to create layers with texture and color.  while at the same time add some elements that mimic the look old engraving techniques which i do so love.   in my illustrations there are elements that i fell in love with while drawing and working in printmaking.

now revisiting painting, i am working on bringing my strengths and love of drawing to each creation.  movement, texture, as well as the use of charcoal and pastels aid in reaching these goals.   i love creating a surface that is both interesting in layers of color and depth as well as one that you just want to touch.  in my storytelling i often use shadow/texture to create lost and found areas of things that are not seen.   when we look at an object we don’t see every detail ... and know as i get older this fact speaks to me even more ... where are my reading glasses !

i feel i am only in my infancy with my painting.  i feel my voice is more about creating each work as much as it’s subject matter.  i tend to focus more on the animal kingdom . . . but it goes beyond a pretty picture.  a good friend and mentor called me a ‘a forever student’ which is very true ... i love to learn and experience.   as much as i love being a student i also love passing on what i have learned or discovered through teaching or coaching.  so with my passion and curiosity about the animal kingdom it only seems natural that is the way i would gravitate.

every animal has a personality, interaction and/or a story ... both in my illustrations and paintings.  in these ways i tend to personify animals by transferring my human interpretations on them ... which sometimes makes a statement on relating to one another or a moment in time. 

my approaches seem to be more on the sunny side ... even my monsters and evil monkeys tend to be more cute, though mad not dark.   i have fun creating and i draw to enjoy the journey to somewhere better not worse.   i did not pursue art at a young age because i didn’t feel i had a voice.  i always made art to decorate a room or for cards/gifts but that was it.  then came an end to what felt like a lifetime journey, a divorce,  and a devastating airplane crash that took the lives of my friends and changed the lives of so many others.   it was at that time i began drawing figurative abstracts out of my memory to bring me out of a dark place.   those works were well received (one even hung in a restaurant in newport beach, ca) but they were full of life, of reaching for the stars, and dreaming,  since then i have to create and when i don’t i get very wound up and really need my drawing time.  i live to draw ... not to change your views or opinions to mine but to share a moment to share creativity.  i don’t need to be famous i just hope the viewer is drawn in as they observe my work.  i notice many are and it is not because i am some master at it but because of what went into the work.  my first art school figure drawing teacher said ... ‘love each line.  love your mistakes and others will love it to’ ... i have seen this many times.

MY COLLECTION

VISIT THE COLLECTION PAGEs TO LEARN MORE

i have two main collections that are still in the process of development at this time.  one is ‘the works’ or ‘works on paper’.   the majority of these pieces are designed to be able to hang on the wall as is or left to whomever possesses it to frame/display to suit their creative needs.  our lives ... my life is so nomadic that these works suit me just fine.  easy to hang, store and transfer.   i also found that every surface i paint on has it’s own special effects on the works.  paper is by far my favorite.   but there are different stories to tell and therefore different surfaces and mediums.

the second collection is ‘the sketchbook revisited’ series or simply ‘the sketchbook’.  ballpoint pen on wrapped canvases ... and layered with acrylic colors that create the mood of one of my favorite sketching tools ... the ballpoint pen and a multicolored koh-i-noor.

WORKing BiG and GETTING OUT OF THE STUDiO

i love working big and ‘the works’ gives me that freedom to do just that. murals and chalk art festivals also give me this pleasure but with the added element of stepping out of the studio.  of course most chalk festivals aid the community art programs which is a definite + + ...

i have a lot of fun when i do chalk art festivals.  i don’t do the traditional pastel works or reproductions.  the first festival i did i decided to take my book illustrations out of my ballpoint pen world and from there my tradition started.

i’ll arrive with an idea on day one and let it grow throughout the day.  sometimes it’s adding elements of the sponsor ... sometimes it’s  getting the viewers to help pick what animal to add and where.  the first year i had a few helpers ... each artist did their own surfboard design on the piece. it’s a lot of fun involving the crowd and having them become part of the creative process.  it is also a lot of fun testing the creative brainstorming and the quick thinking illustrative brain on the day of the festival !!!  not award winning but a whole lot of fun !!  and judging from my returning viewers i think they enjoy it to !!!