Biography

I distinctly remember what I saw that afternoon. It was an MGM cartoon from the 1940s entitled, "Mouse In Manhattan". I was shocked and spellbound by the way in which the characters moved. I asked my sister, "what are they?...they aren't real." She replied, "They're pictures, they draw them". I then asked, "Who? Who draws them? My sister said, "Well, kids...grown-ups are too old for this stuff."

I then went on to create my own drawings of cartoon and children's television characters. My parents and teachers took notice immediately. My preschool teacher described me as having an "uncanny ability to visualize thoughts on paper." On "parent's day" a large rendition of the Sesame Street cast that I had done was mistaken by the other children's parents to be the work of the teacher. I never could understand how people made such a fuss over the things that I did, because according to my sister, all children oriented media was supposed to be created by children.

As I grew older, I was often told that I had a powerful and creative communication style that captivated people's attention and made a long lasting impression. In high school, I was motivated by my trigonometry teacher in who's class I excelled. I always finished exams very early, so I would draw funny caricatures and comic strips of the instructor on the back of the answer sheets in the remaining time, thus earning bonus points! (Who says that Catholic schools are too rigid?) My teacher said that he liked to reward students who could combine a variety of skills. Though awarding bonus points in this manner was done purely out of fun, I found logic in his message. In college, I sought a career path that would allow me to combine my creative skills with mathematics, thus utilizing both sides of my brain. I double-majored in art and marketing which would also enable me to further develop my communication skills.

After graduating college, I had a difficult time finding the right job that would bring out the best in me. I found that such positions advertised as, "...a unique professional environment combining strategic marketing and dynamic creativity" in fact only involved making cold sales calls, crunching outdated figures, countless hours of debate over how large the "%" sign should be in a newspaper ad, and praying that that the coffee mug vendor would print the company's logo right-side-up. At the onset of 1998, I gave myself an ultimatum to find the right career, possibly in a specialized field in which I would be willing to devote the rest of my working life.

The masters program in Biomedical Visualization at the University of Illinois at Chicago was an incredible experience. Having a strong commitment to bodybuilding and fitness since 1989, I thereby developed an extensive understanding of human anatomy and physiology. Now I was able to incorporate yet another passion of mine into my eventual career. My fears and anxiety about taking on such a difficult schooling program were assuaged by the positive attitude that I had developed in my early preschool years, when I succeeded simply because I did not know any better.

Upon acceptance into the UIC program after a year of science coursework and independent studies, I vowed to utilize every moment of graduate school to its fullest extent. I went beyond the required curriculum and developed strong skillsets which include traditional and computer illustration, 2d and 3d animation, and the latest in virtual reality technology. Broadening my scope, I was able to explore the field to its limits and utilize the skills that I had developed. I used my commitment to precision and accuracy as well as my teaching abilities to construct a virtual human liver and portal drainage models which are now being used to teach medical students. At the other extreme, I took my sense of humor to the limit by playing a major role in creating an animated cartoon that won a local pharmaceutical advertising agency a national award in creativity.

Now as a freelance illustrator, I am committed to utilizing my experience and broad range of skills to exceed the expectations of my clients. I put everything I have to offer into my work as I stress visual accuracy, a clear communication style, aesthetic appeal, and proper tone and delivery. I look forward to making a long lasting contribution to the field of medical illustration and communication arts, and upholding the honor and integrity of my personal role models in the field.