Illustration & Portraits

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Ever since I was a child, I have always loved the worlds of dramatic color, action, and emotion that spring from the written words on a page. And I admire artists who combine realistic, vivid detail with fantasy and imagination to bring those worlds to life. Some illustrators whose influence has stuck with me are Gustave Dore, Arthur Rackham, N. C. Wyeth, Chris Van Allsburg, David Wiesner, Jan Brett, and Jerry Pinkney. I strive to create dynamic compositions in a traditional style (rather than cartoon, anime, or manga, for instance) that dramatize space and light for maximum effect on the viewer. I use pencil or ink to crisply delineate the contours of objects and figures and a combination of watercolors and colored pencil to create light effects. Whether I am creating an image of a thrifty, resourceful mother working magic in the kitchen for a children’s book (See Magician in the Kitchen) or a disturbing, hyperbolic commentary on children’s online vulnerability in a predatory adult and corporate society today (See Naked), I aim to provoke thought and evoke feeling by merging concrete realism with fantastic vision.