My experience as a graphic artist does not come from academia, though I do work professionally. When I was a child, my father, who was a professional cartoonist for thirty years, taught me to draw, and, as a teenager, I earned spending money as a sign painter. I took an animation class in San Francisco, and, in my 20's, I took painting and figure-drawing classes at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts.

Eventually my interest in graphic art and computers led me to develop my Adobe, Macromedia, and Quark skills, which brought in several commissions for book covers and web sites. While working at Go Gulf Magazine, I began to understand what happens to graphic and layout files after they make their way to their destination. I learned that graphic artists often make mistakes, without knowing it, that cause trouble for publishers, and this experience from the publisher's perspective gives me a great deal of confidence that my files will not cause problems for the client, printer, or publisher. Although I use a PC at home, I used both Macintosh and PC computers at Go Gulf and Andrei Codrescu's Exquisite Corpse web site, so I know the strong and weak points of both.

While brainstorming ideas, I keep in mind the axiom that the confused mind always says no. I avoid designs that are sophisticated at the expense of getting the message across clearly. My general creative philosophy in the commercial setting balances the strong visual or multimedia statement with the tasteful presentation. I also understand deadlines as things to be met rather than extended.

Often, a client will reject an idea even when the creative professional is sure that it will work. At such times, I understand that a commercial artist cannot be precious about his work. After all, it is literally the client's business. The final decision should arise out of a synergy between the client and the creative professional. Form follows function in my creative schema, and ego only figures into the equation as a motivation for doing the best job possible for the client and/or employer. I work as well independently as I do in a team and lead as well as I follow. Please view some of the examples of my work.

Miscellaneous