In 2023, I will mark thirty-five years as a creative professional. If I include the time invested into my training and early freelance endeavours, my total wealth of experience now covers forty-three years.
Despite having attained my B.F.A. in graphic design, I was never completely satisfied with the prospect of limiting myself to a single discipline. My interests in all subjects drove me to pursue multiple elective studies across a variety of curriculums.
As a result, I have enjoyed the singular satisfaction of acquiring a large skill-set which includes proficiency in graphic design, web design, art history, creative writing, industrial design, painting, printmaking, paper sculpting, clay pottery, jewelry making, welding, metal fabrication, 3D design & printing, as well as a host of other skills which have served me well when cross-pollinated with the list above.
In 2020, with the height of a global pandemic upon us, I came to the realization that this range of professional experience was ideally suited to a personal interest which I had largely denied myself since I was a young boy — model making. And I don’t mean the scale models that one purchased at the local hobby shop. No, instead, I was keen to recreate the things I saw in the world around me and that meant building from scratch.
My first attempt goes all the way back to when I was just seven years old. After a trip to Disneyland that summer, I was enthralled with the whimsical architecture that made up the It’s a Small World exhibit. I found all the imagery I could in an era that long predated the internet and, using these printed resources, I began recreating what I saw using a cardboard box as my starting point. A sharp steak knife I pilfered from the dining room was my primary tool for cutting and shaping the pieces that would eventually become my scale facade of the beloved Disney attraction.
The bug bit me. I was hooked. However, it took almost fifty years before my sweetheart discerned this latent passion through the various conversations we had about our youth. Eventually, she read the situation and realized it was the perfect time to encourage me to engage in a creative passion I had been denying myself for decades.
The skills and experience I have added to my tool belt have served me considerably well in the new path I have chosen. I am especially pleased with the results and hope you will take the opportunity to view this work through the menu navigation.