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Driven by ambition and my grandpa’s encouragement, I have pursued various creative endeavors throughout my art career. Beginning in high school, I created a short-lived comic strip series in the State Journal Register. In 2009, I submitted a new comic strip for proofreading and then it was published every Tuesday for a year. This achievement pushed me to earn my associate degree in art from Lincoln Land Community College in 2014. From there, I transferred to Illinois State University to continue my studies at ISU’s School of Art. It was here that I had the opportunity to refine and enhance my abilities in color and composition. In the summer of 2016, I spent eight weeks studying abroad in Cortona, Italy. During my visit, I had the opportunity to see many iconic paintings, including Max Ernst’s Antipope and Sandro Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. I appreciated the way each artwork exuded a chaotic yet calming impression when I saw them in person. It was also in Cortona that I featured my work in La Mostra Art Gallery alongside my colleagues as a group exhibit to the public.
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After completing my bachelor’s degree in Studio Art at ISU, I spent three years writing a novel that included my own illustrations. I had mild success selling nearly half of the copies I had printed. During my writing, I started to practice making comic books by printing copies as gifts to my friends and family. I continue to write and make comic books.
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Influences in my art originated from a variety of places. I admire colorful designs in gaming booklets and movies. I was particularly interested in the artwork for RPG video games by Tetsuya Nomura and Kazuma Kaneko. The works involved cultural influences from both Eastern and Western countries that would naturally intermingle. I found it refreshing to see a different approach to reimagining timeless myths to be more modern while having authenticity to the original source material.
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I also enjoy Heinz Edelmann’s work on the film, The Yellow Submarine. The Beatles and several illustrative inhabitants influenced me to make characters as impressionable as the citizens of Pepperland. Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, also left a distinguishable impact on me with its wild and expressive illustrations from books and his secret paintings revealed years after his death. Heinz and Theodore had a personal perspective of the world that I hope to replicate, adding my original touch.