my story

The Extra Long Version!

A young boy with blonde hair smiling on a sandy beach near the ocean during daytime, wearing a red sweatshirt with 'Shawn' embroidered on it and dark pants.

It all started in 1975

I was born in 1975 in Northern Ohio. Growing up in the ‘80s was amazing! We had so many incredible TV shows, toys and movies, all a young boy could want. I was a huge pop culture kid and had a massive collection of comic books, video games and cassette tapes. Ahhhh… what a time. Anyway, I started drawing by copying my favorite comic books and sketching the local wildlife.

a natural inclination for art

For as long as I can remember I had a pencil in my hand, ready to draw. These early years set the foundation of what would become a life-long pursuit of making art. Watching an image appear on the paper right before my eyes was amazing, and still is!

A group of children gathered around a young girl sitting on a couch, holding a birthday card and smiling at a celebration.
Collection of hand-drawn sketches and colored illustrations including a deer's head, a ninja holding a sword, two cans of Mountain Dew, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles drawing, and a mecha robot.

my Art Education

High School Art Class

1993
God bless Mr. Munger, my high school art teacher. He gave each student assignments based on the strengths he saw in each of us. I got a full scholarship to attend The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale thanks to Mr. Munger. He helped me put together a portfolio and submit my application.

Black and white art of leaves and berries, arranged in a cluster.
Black and white art of flying pelicans gathered together.

Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale

1995
My major was Visual Communications, basically advertising and design. Although most of the classes were based on layout and marketing, we did have some art and illustration courses. I seemed to thrive in those classes.

A collage of three images. The first image is a close-up of a person with dark skin wearing sunglasses with reflections. The second image is a vintage nautical map with a ship's wheel and colorful Christmas lights. The third image is a portrait of an older man with glasses and a white turban or head covering.

Lyme Academy

2000
After graduating from college and working in the advertising field for almost five years, I was itching to start making art again. That’s when I made the massive decision to go back to art school. I researched classically trained colleges and enrolled in the Lyme Academy of Art in Connecticut. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned and I ended up back in graphic design.

A detailed pencil drawing of a shirtless man with his hand on his hip, viewed in profile with his head slightly tilted downward.

My Professional career as
a Senior graphic designer

My main career for over 20 years, designing for print, web and video. Below is a short list of some of the clients I worked with.

A man with glasses and a goatee sitting at an office desk with a computer and various office supplies, looking slightly upward.
A collection of logos from various well-known companies and organizations, including NSU, Citi, Disney, AT&T, Dick's Sporting Goods, Florida Atlantic University, Motorola, The MET, Time Warner Cable, Sprint, Florida Panthers, TXU Energy, Microsoft, Payless, Travelers, DMA, Hilco Global, and Hostway.
  • Toy packaging of Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, including a box with instructions for making a Buzz Mobile from Star Command and a colorful box cover featuring Buzz Lightyear and Emperor Zurg.
  • A young child in winter clothing standing in front of a tent in a snowy forest, with a horse nearby and a logo in the background reading 'Travel the Road'.
  • Promotional flyers for a pain relief product called Pain Pro during the Super Bowl event. One flyer features Ray Lewis, a football player, holding a football, with event details on February 2nd at 8:00 PM at Cheli's Chili Bar. The other flyer highlights the product's pain relief cream, stating it contains spearmint and peppermint oil, is fast-acting, doctor recommended, and provides arthritis, muscle, and joint pain relief.
  • Colorful toy set includes a yellow and purple all-terrain vehicle with 'Gorilla Grabber' written on it, and two chimpanzee figures in a cage, packaged in a plastic display box with jungle-themed graphics.
  • Screenshot of the ADT security website featuring promotional travel deals and products, including a men's silver watch, DVD, luggage, and MP3 player with prices listed.
  • A young woman wearing a helmet performing a skateboarding trick at a skate park, with a crowd watching. Text on the image advertises a deck sale with 20% off and promotes new skateboarding videos.
  • A promotional poster for the Indiana Carnins Pro Football City Cup. It features a large image of a football player in white and blue uniform, with two football players in orange uniforms in the foreground. The poster includes text highlighting the event, with phrases like "Number 64, Come in at Ya!" and "Extreme Player." The background has a stylized design with diagonal lines and abstract shapes.

Starting a family

Having children is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. When my daughters were born it was like I was infused with an incredible creative flow of energy. Watching them discover the world for the first time reinvigorated my artistic senses. During that time I made music, painted large works on canvas, illustrated all types of projects, learned animation, kept a sketchbook, which I constantly drew in, and even started landscape painting.

Collection of sketches of sleeping and playing children, including infants and toddlers, some in various poses and some with detailed facial expressions.

a heartbreaking event

Unfortunately, things happen in life which throw us for a loop and give us a dreadful gut punch. I went through a terrible divorce and our family split up. Not only that, but shortly after I lost my design job and couldn’t find work. The doors were closing all around me. That’s when I did the only thing I could, I painted.

A man wearing a white cap and black shirt painting outdoors at sunset, standing at an easel with a landscape scene near a river with green trees in the background.

a new direction

This new path opened doors I never would have dreamed of. I started painting everyday and soon began traveling, judging art shows, giving demos, teaching at prestigious art schools, and having my work represented by some incredible galleries. A huge highlight was having my paintings printed in art magazines!

A colorful painting of a sunset over a calm river with dark silhouettes of trees along the horizon.
Oil painting of a street scene at sunset with palm trees, parked cars, and a few blurred figures walking.
A landscape painting of a dry, desert-like scene with trees, bushes, rocks, and a clear blue sky.

Then Covid happened

It was a dark time for many of us, but especially artists and galleries. I lost all of my income and basically became homeless, even sleeping out of my car at times. But there’s an upside to this story.

-

Light shines brightest in the darkness.

My God Story

Since I didn’t’ have an income in Florida, I figured it would be a good time to travel the U.S. to start looking for new galleries to represent my work. I packed up all I had left and drove out West. It was my first time driving across country and what an incredible experience it was!

I hit a snag though as I drove through Texas. My car started to break down. I was so anxious and thought, “What am I going to do? I don’t have money, I don’t know anyone here. I’m in deep trouble.”

I decided to stay at a hotel and think of what to do. I fell on my knees in that hotel room and cried out to God. “Please God, please help me! Please forgive me.”

That next morning, I bumped into a man who overheard me talking about my car problems. He recommended I drive up the road to a tire place and that they could help me. So I drove and drove and eventually turned down a side road to circle back. I got out of the car and peered underneath. When I looked back up, that same man from earlier was across the street waving at me from the tire place! I drove over and went inside.

The first thing I saw on the table was a Bible. I said “Ok God.” The place was packed with customers but the mechanic said he would take me right away. He test drove my car, came back inside and said, “I don’t see anything wrong with it.” I was in shock! How could this be.

Sure enough, my car ran like new. I never saw that man again but knew this was a miracle from God.

A dry, leafless tree stands against a scenic background of green shrubs, distant mountains, and a partly cloudy sky.
A street corner view featuring an adobe-style building, a vintage clock, colorful flowers in planters, trees, and parked cars. A woman is taking a photo or looking at her phone near the flowers, and another person is walking on the sidewalk.

starting over

When things get bad don’t give up, just keep going. Step-by-Step.

A dirt path running between a cornfield on the right and an open grassy field on the left, with the sun setting on the horizon.
Crowd of people gathered at a rodeo arena on a sunny day, with some watching from the bleachers and others standing near the fence, children playing on the dirt field, and a few people talking near a pole.

Exciting new beginning!

Illustration and comics is full of boundless creativity and new possibilities!

During covid and the lockdowns I began drawing comics and cartoons again. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. The passion was rekindled and from then on I’ve been drawing non-stop.

And now I want to share whatever talents or gifts I may have with the world.

I’d love to work with you on your next project!

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