WHAT I CAN DO:
Artwork of many flavours and categories. Freehand artwork with a love of illustration and cartooning. Graphic art in the form of logos, layout and design. Fine artwork in the form of paintings and portraiture. My years of experience, and a joy of creative expression, has seen me complete many an art project in an eclectic range of areas.
I have a strong skill in writing (see my Author page), with a large vocabulary. A spell-checker is a tool, not a crutch.
I get along with all manner of people, customers and even sales reps.
THE TOOLS I USE:
Computers! I am as adept with computer graphic technology as any person can claim to be in the ever-changing world of upgrades and "improvements".
I'm very comfortable with the Macintosh and well-acquainted with the Windows platform. I am extremely versatile with the Big Guys: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and InDesign. From scanner to screen to printer, I've logged many thousands of hours commanding the digital tools of modern art and design. I am fully loaded with two Macs, scanner, printer and assorted peripheral devices.
Acrylic paints and coloured pencil. Pen and brush and ink. Pencil and paper. I have an accomplished skill in freehand drawing, being able to actually create a needed spot illustration element without a clipart disk.
WHERE I ACQUIRED SUCH EXPERTISE:
Years as a "jack of all art trades" has left me with more clients and experiences than I can list without getting repetitive. Below are highlights from the last decade or so:
Notable and significant design work for all the branches of the Gabriel Dumont Institute. Annual reports, brochures, special event posters, logos and business cards only start the list. I've enjoyed a fine relationship with the people there.
Years as part of, or the entire, Art Department of assorted screen printing businesses. Primarily creating and adapting art for garments, but also a vast list of mugs, pens, golf bags, and so on. Quite often this was a mixture of on site work and telecommuting.
A varied assortment of other marketing firms, from one dealing in specialized plastic wallet cards to another focusing on hunting/fishing lodge clients. Again, the wonder of the modern world allowed these relationships to happen from Calgary to Los Angeles to London.
Illustrator of How to Play Poker by Dave Scharf and More Please!-the Macaroni & Cheese Cookbook by Keahey and Kilner.
Art department position on the television series Jake and the Kid. A job that stretched my skills wonderfully. Each script would require different prop and set decorating pieces. For the first and second seasons I did everything from creating a weekly newspaper to designing faux labels for bean cans and to painting a cover for "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". I also enjoyed a similar, if part time, involvement with the series Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
The high-pressure crucible of digital printing at "Digital Jungle" and then "Color Right Now". The duties of graphic designer, desktop publisher, and pre-production jockey in such a hot deadline environment are only the tip of the resume. IT troubleshooter, copier fixit guy and customer service rep all factor into a harried day.
