commercial Illustration

painting

collage 1

collage 2

mixed-media/3D

digital

arts & entertainment

diversity

portrait

children’s

 

uncommissioned work

personal work

decorative art

through a lens

 

graphic design

illustrative logos

 

about

I’m a trained graphic designer (BFA from Parsons)- but a self-taught painter. That combination has influenced most aspects of my path as an artist. That design background almost always permeates my art.

I started out as a graphic designer with so many not-for-profit clients (with no budgets)- I began illustrating my own designs in order bring my concepts to life. The funny thing about entering illustration via design- every design is different- so everything I illustrated was different as well. Most illustrators I know do one look and do it very, very well. I wound up creating with a wide range of styles and mediums.

I took the leap about 15 years ago and decided to pursue Commercial Illustration full-time. Morgan Gaynin Inc. took me under their wing- and have represented my commercial illustration work for 15 years. (thank you Vicki and Gail).

In the long run it has turned out wonderfully. I have had the opportunity to illustrate a sweet and painterly Children’s book ‘Two Scarlet Songbirds’ while simultaneously creating a very urban, gritty collage for the cover of the Notorious B.I.G. CD ‘Duets’. Very satisfying.

The one unifying thing has been and most probably will be, this marriage of art and design.There’s always some kind of order to things- a graphic simplicity- or organized chaos. I have a fascination with visual problem solving and some sort of grid to organize the various elements, and I often use typography as a primary or secondary element.

Creating mixed-media pieces thrill me. Traditional painting with collaged elements- loose with tight.The juxtaposition of vintage items with contemporary ones. Upcycling- giving new life to a discarded object. And the hunt for interesting elements is certainly part of the fun.

I truly love to get my hands dirty. I still do some graphic designing (much prefer illustrative logos) but prefer to paint on canvas, or work with various elements in my wood shop. Among my favorite mediums- actylic paint, oil paint, spray paint, ephemera, reclaimed wood, anything typographical or vintage.

Please enjoy!