Background

Pencils, pens, paint brushes, and everything else that could make a visual mark were a part of my life growing up and I carried my artistic gifts with me through high school and college. I graduated from the University of Dayton in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in Visual Communication Design (graphic design). Immediately following graduation, I worked as a graphic designer at Arthur Andersen in St. Charles, IL, designing print and multimedia training materials for two years. The next five years were spent in my hometown of Louisville, KY working as a designer/art director for Greater Louisville Inc. - The Metro Chamber of Commerce. It was here that I reconnected with a college friend and got married. We decided to move back to Chicago where I worked as a freelance graphic designer and eventually an art director for a small design boutique, C Change.

After spending close to ten years behind a computer, I realized that designing material that would last a few moments, days or possibly weeks was just not very fulfilling. I still have respect and admiration for graphic design and believe in its utility and beauty, but I was looking for something more substantial and hands-on. I believed that my artistic background could be better utilized designing and creating pieces of art that people would live with and enjoy for decades and possibly lifetimes. Unlike most of the material we are barraged with on a daily basis, I wanted to create something that couldn't be thrown away or easily put aside, but would surround and play a subtle, yet pleasurable experience every day.

I was introduced to the American College of the Building Arts through a newspaper article and decided to take a first-hand look at the Charleston, SC institution. After my visit, I knew this was how I wanted to spend the rest of my working days.