I always knew I wanted to be an artist, so when I attended the University of Illinois in 1992, I got my degree in one of the three art majors they offered—graphic design. The only other options were photography and painting. I am not a photographer and according to my dad, artists (painters) don’t make any money, so graphic design it was. Let’s just say I wasn't immune to my dad’s lack of enthusiasm.

I am not like other artists. I have not one, not two, but many styles up my sleeve. Most artists work very hard at developing their own signature style. In all honesty, I have tried my darndest to achieve the same! But I’ve been illustrating since I was in the single digits, and over the years my illustration style has changed dramatically. While that used to bother me, I have since come to embrace the fact that I thrive at pushing myself to try new mediums and methods.