A Bit About Me

I've been drawing and engaging in creative activities for as long as I can remember. For a time, I was a typical local artist, exhibiting in shows, selling some paintings, winning awards, and completing a couple of dozen commissions here and there.

After starting a family, I became emersed in children’s picture books. But before I began my first book, I went directly to the target audience: children. I spent a considerable amount of time as a volunteer storytime reader at local schools and libraries. My goal was to learn what the kids, librarians, and teachers like, and most importantly, what they wanted from new picture books. Fortunately, my discoveries aligned perfectly with my core: stories that push the boundaries of imagination.

I strive to plant a clear and concise ideological flag, the essential importance of imagination. It’s the muscle memory for critical thinking. Encouraging wild flights of fancy is required to propel us from what is to what could be. I see our children as our world’s most vital asset, and imagination as the core strength necessary for their future.

Using that storytime reader experience, I wrote and illustrated four stories. Two were accepted for publication; however, the publisher closed their doors just before press time. That disappointment came at the same time as a new opportunity: advertising. My education in computer science and passion for creativity collided; I started a digital advertising and creative department within a large ad agency.

For a long time, my career as an advertising and marketing executive took over my life. Which was okay, I was still being creative, but for companies like IBM, Citibank, HSBC, McGraw Hill, IRS, U.S. Coast Guard, TD Ameritrade, DuckTape, Playtex Products, and more. Now, as that nearly 30-year career came to a close, I found all my old children’s book artwork. Time to pivot back to my roots!

My passion for a singular message to children is stronger than ever: have big, beautiful daydreams. I’m reimagining all my old illustrations for contemporary expectations and formats. I focus on “realistic whimsy,” which portrays the warm look of natural media, with the flexibility of digital art. My artistic inspiration for children's book art is rooted in the likes of Maurice Sendak, Chris Van Allsburg, and, most recently, David Wiesner.